tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75482412131033243342024-03-05T07:40:45.716+00:00Trees, ropes, boxes and birds!This blog is about my passions, climbing trees and studying birds. Most are of my own local and licensed bird monitoring, including ringing birds under license. And tree climbing adventures, sharing the magic for when you are stuck in the office and need a spot of day-dreaming to help you through! Thanks for looking and feel free to ask questions.
For my day job I run Wild Tree Adventures taking people high up into the canopy.Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-31585498015085080712019-11-11T14:21:00.000+00:002019-11-11T14:21:10.833+00:00<h2>
<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Northern Saw-Whet Owls are amazing birds!</span></b></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tiny and highly secretive, the Northern Saw-Whet owl is a gorgeous bird and I was super lucky to meet one at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bruce-Peninsula-Bird-Observatory-98657869360/" target="_blank"><b>Bruce Peninsula Bird Observator</b>y</a> back in Fall of 2016! Ringing, or banding as they call it, is a way to learn about the complex migratory patterns and routes of birds that can travel astounding distances. Now studies are beginning to show more information although it is never easy!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Check out <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/a-grassroots-banding-project-reveals-how-amazing-northern-saw-whet-owls-are/" target="_blank">this link</a> for more info on the studies: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/a-grassroots-banding-project-reveals-how-amazing-northern-saw-whet-owls-are/ and if you want to make them a box, <a href="https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/birds/northern-saw-whet-owl/" target="_blank">here are some nest-box making plan</a>s! <span style="text-align: center;">https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/birds/northern-saw-whet-owl/</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;">Here are a couple of pics from back in 2016 at the BPBO in Ontario, Canada.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnP53KMs4Hs9Z1U9Nc3AOrEbjl26G598OWu4p-mdVuva-whYJk8-srsR2g0pUL1Yfo_W4UN9LPRvDLuwUkhaq91tfOv9DBj4VOGGi44U7sgnhkYFxveFa2p-AovzQWl7pAPOcjP8Ldy8/s1600/IMG_1875.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnP53KMs4Hs9Z1U9Nc3AOrEbjl26G598OWu4p-mdVuva-whYJk8-srsR2g0pUL1Yfo_W4UN9LPRvDLuwUkhaq91tfOv9DBj4VOGGi44U7sgnhkYFxveFa2p-AovzQWl7pAPOcjP8Ldy8/s320/IMG_1875.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEANzhjaS-RmabSPky8cuyJeT7kIYcMAidbzwEIMg5tRGt4FWJpMYf4b8_eJWUyHReJimviviy2YYiyPcjyS1MMGaACX9HJ3w5qD7PnWamIcPepK2Xy0MqSEWkpyzfmK4N0u_fFkK92vY/s1600/IMG_1876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEANzhjaS-RmabSPky8cuyJeT7kIYcMAidbzwEIMg5tRGt4FWJpMYf4b8_eJWUyHReJimviviy2YYiyPcjyS1MMGaACX9HJ3w5qD7PnWamIcPepK2Xy0MqSEWkpyzfmK4N0u_fFkK92vY/s320/IMG_1876.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjk_3wUb0lnn5aaWqo8TJNzG6RfxtbHktEkHyMlSy5tHL3Zc46GujwD4rqCL-hmDCb60cdVQ_oybLnyFI87L_mxiSz0mzRlD98c9aCuIdWiUZ_Z6ZiEZPbDVazqpnpHO_FOEkBDClCJLg/s1600/IMG_1874.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1402" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjk_3wUb0lnn5aaWqo8TJNzG6RfxtbHktEkHyMlSy5tHL3Zc46GujwD4rqCL-hmDCb60cdVQ_oybLnyFI87L_mxiSz0mzRlD98c9aCuIdWiUZ_Z6ZiEZPbDVazqpnpHO_FOEkBDClCJLg/s200/IMG_1874.jpeg" width="175" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-64652710730520397982018-08-29T22:27:00.000+01:002018-08-29T22:27:12.286+01:00Wonderful evenings at Wakehurst Place<div style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVi7mFuzf8NLZLZeCjw3K3fqD-yN5gmafqPjBoZAuaUX7uF-1I4bYFfmO2mcJVDOFTYkapYsJslMH2RpIEydatkTqa-PfjXNKykTi9CJQbYjhUSa2bFKvJeTLaCYeq3cNeYFrs4M_GGA/s1600/IMG_2229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVi7mFuzf8NLZLZeCjw3K3fqD-yN5gmafqPjBoZAuaUX7uF-1I4bYFfmO2mcJVDOFTYkapYsJslMH2RpIEydatkTqa-PfjXNKykTi9CJQbYjhUSa2bFKvJeTLaCYeq3cNeYFrs4M_GGA/s320/IMG_2229.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The sun is setting. It is orange-gold and so low, piercing the cloud. In the lower meadows, cut and now lush green, two full-grown foxes chase each other making darts and feints at each other in the dusk and from n a tree somewhere down the headgeline I hear the hiss-like rasp of an owl calling for food.</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I sit on a warm wooden round seat with the words inscribed on it “No time to see...” except for once I have got time, and I am very lucky to see a white shape floating a little awkwardly over the long grass and the owl lands on a fence post, calling. It’s back to me it is the same colour of the August grass, and now it turns its face to me it is a white glow. Then it bobs up across the grass and flies up into the dark safety of an oak to call again for food.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A tawny wails briefly, hoarsely almost from the wood. Out in front a kestrel slides across the skyline and into the trees and mistle thrushes erupt, chattering angrily. Then again all is still, the air is cool, and soft, on every horizon I see the shape of a redwood. This meadow is flowered, seeding, quiet. And I muse on how to best describe the sound of the young owl: it is the bristles of a stiff yard brush on a rain-washed road; it is laboured wheezing; it is each puffing up of a balloon, the hunger growing; it is the slow monotony of the sharpening of a hunger for many mice; it is the spray of a paint can drawing a line from here to tomorrows’ night; it is the tree, breathing, heavy with summer; it is the sound of the rolling sea in the shore-side rocks: so many attempts and yet each feels like is falls so far short of the actual sound. Deep in the wood now I hear the foxes bark; it is dark and not yet 9 o’clock. The adult owl is hunting the field, ghostly: I watch it until I cannot see it’s pale shape any longer. The fox barks, the fox barks, and once more as I leave the silhouetted trees and the resin-rich night-black air. </div>
</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictFn447t0LmfLxFDV_WHG0250l-RQeQKGSvOvnhFXS68aIDRGDjkC-peJfpykmHKYE37RMs6W9d-ouc35StC_ESe8bnHnqVIlvMlIpOzIKVXvqgFZHF0HIl3_U3AC9RfW0NcKtZ548Mk/s1600/IMG_2245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictFn447t0LmfLxFDV_WHG0250l-RQeQKGSvOvnhFXS68aIDRGDjkC-peJfpykmHKYE37RMs6W9d-ouc35StC_ESe8bnHnqVIlvMlIpOzIKVXvqgFZHF0HIl3_U3AC9RfW0NcKtZ548Mk/s200/IMG_2245.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWWaKUvAWa-K9jd5gIiISGuzvUfM-Sk4_-8v1bHUbV_WLOOfSlhMCbN7MjVhuCf659A_HXyZIyrtZse4TKifRckLwftYUFCedA5s28VYJeBasrnLVz8JgSeYjj44VnxH_XEOGPILkLok/s1600/IMG_2230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWWaKUvAWa-K9jd5gIiISGuzvUfM-Sk4_-8v1bHUbV_WLOOfSlhMCbN7MjVhuCf659A_HXyZIyrtZse4TKifRckLwftYUFCedA5s28VYJeBasrnLVz8JgSeYjj44VnxH_XEOGPILkLok/s200/IMG_2230.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-44722984526998420992018-03-05T08:26:00.001+00:002018-03-05T08:26:57.131+00:00'The Peace of the Wild Things'<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"I come into the peace of wild things.." is my favourite line from this fantastic poem by Wendell Berry, and you can hear his gorgeous reading of it <a href="https://vimeo.com/99893181" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://vimeo.com/99893181?ref=fb-share&1" target="_blank"><i>The Peace of Wild Things</i></a>. The space and emotion in his voice takes me back to the wild places and 'wild things' in Canada, and nearly 18 months on, I still dream of the magic of that month on the edge of forest and Great Lake up on the Bruce Peninsula, stepping over snakes and hearing the strange morning cries of cranes in the half-dark dawning. And of those evening journeys, paddling out into the basin after the long day was done and resting there awhile, watching and listening, watching two moons and the pushed ripple of a beaver along the shore swimming out to gnaw holes in the deep blue dusk.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVfVMly9jDvgCRsHe7j-e-0otvmqeAT5RBBJtUsUXHGb6Kh_EO6xPzu4l25pfYbJ8aSg3C2UasR8nmGGiEXm0I32UU70tc1Q2j4seC41OfLBvFoAXdWXGFViQKMT9o1zx7c-J7f7bs_A/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVfVMly9jDvgCRsHe7j-e-0otvmqeAT5RBBJtUsUXHGb6Kh_EO6xPzu4l25pfYbJ8aSg3C2UasR8nmGGiEXm0I32UU70tc1Q2j4seC41OfLBvFoAXdWXGFViQKMT9o1zx7c-J7f7bs_A/s320/IMG_1696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wingfield Basin, Bruce Peninsula, 2016</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-64025625053181874542017-06-04T17:16:00.003+01:002017-06-04T17:16:55.482+01:00Love up trees....If you need time out and a little heart-warming positivity then sit back and listen to this lovely, funny story by A. L. Kennedy about a man stuck up a tree and a woman who will climb.....<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01k1n6y" target="_blank">Love Love Love like the Beatles</a> by <a href="http://www.a-l-kennedy.co.uk/" target="_blank">A. L. Kennedy</a>Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-67289504036621108752017-06-04T16:19:00.001+01:002017-06-04T16:19:55.617+01:00Urban peregrines of Bournemouth in the air (any minute now!!)<a href="http://www.bournemouthperegrines.org.uk/" target="_blank">Urban peregrines</a> nest in all kinds of places and <a href="http://www.bournemouthperegrines.org.uk/" target="_blank">Bournemouth's ace birds</a> nest in a fabulous clock tower. And the time is fledging time! On the 16th May this year's brood of one female and two male chicks were ringed as part of the long-term monitoring of this species. This involves fitting under special licence a small metal unique-to-that-bird BTO ring, and a three letter colour-coded Darvic ring. We did this while they were still very fluffy and just a bit of their adult feather growth coming though. Nearly 3 weeks on and boy have they grown as you can see <a href="http://www.bournemouthperegrines.org.uk/" target="_blank">here</a> on the live video feed run by <a href="http://www.wildlifewindows.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wildlife Windows</a>. One of the male youngsters has already taken to the air and the other two will not be long I am sure. See <a href="http://www.bournemouthperegrines.org.uk/" target="_blank">here</a> quick for the latest live footage of the nest.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtlkfHF6ltm3nT0xCGMqF70bBKvV7L6DsJTJwLLSXhfBWvDoRhAvRgowv64Y90mmNEI-h6kTkTsmWRweZsSpQAd05ony1K3wYQnP363lMWJ_HcXT7V72_bRH7tlOLIJ9cvq6uS9i2n9c/s1600/IMG_8216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1281" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtlkfHF6ltm3nT0xCGMqF70bBKvV7L6DsJTJwLLSXhfBWvDoRhAvRgowv64Y90mmNEI-h6kTkTsmWRweZsSpQAd05ony1K3wYQnP363lMWJ_HcXT7V72_bRH7tlOLIJ9cvq6uS9i2n9c/s320/IMG_8216.JPG" width="256" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikg_xkwjWhZ6lsqT0S2kDQjfEsK5ZnyDxWDMtu1liz2NG-z5c8zOX1Fbr_2PPEUYhQLilCgeuOXeHJgwg7xoCSGEclkTHRg1ma_7hyN_zAN_ZxXqzi-XIis0kArd6vllpi4dDxJTqs1R0/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikg_xkwjWhZ6lsqT0S2kDQjfEsK5ZnyDxWDMtu1liz2NG-z5c8zOX1Fbr_2PPEUYhQLilCgeuOXeHJgwg7xoCSGEclkTHRg1ma_7hyN_zAN_ZxXqzi-XIis0kArd6vllpi4dDxJTqs1R0/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YiD5SvEwH1a5kreMNxoGG0fO_aif6fCP2z1yO-7SCycx3rCrMyWxWw3hNju5Fr-dSC0kFe9zLhml72U1x8vnOwnfCJBJ4VQwX9TEokpGPHVZvvm4vBaWZtuKCAckiXiSGuFoa7o7EGg/s1600/image002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1411" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YiD5SvEwH1a5kreMNxoGG0fO_aif6fCP2z1yO-7SCycx3rCrMyWxWw3hNju5Fr-dSC0kFe9zLhml72U1x8vnOwnfCJBJ4VQwX9TEokpGPHVZvvm4vBaWZtuKCAckiXiSGuFoa7o7EGg/s320/image002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-42555643184035066812017-06-04T15:26:00.003+01:002017-06-04T15:26:45.573+01:00Old trees: a fine veteran sweet chestnut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Old trees have a strange fascination for me and this <a href="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/common-non-native-trees/sweet-chestnut/" target="_blank">sweet chestnut</a> is not exception! I spotted this beauty, a fine veteran tree, at the fabulous <a href="https://www.penshurstplace.com/" target="_blank">Penshurst Place & Gardens.</a> I asked David Alderman of <a href="http://www.treeregister.org/" target="_blank">The Tree Register</a>, an organisation full of facts and figures who have <i><a href="http://www.treeregister.org/" target="_blank">A </a></i><span style="background-color: white;"><i><a href="http://www.treeregister.org/" target="_blank">unique record of Notable and Ancient Trees in Britain and Ireland</a>.</i> David told me "the common limes there date back to </span>1798 and so<i> a Sweet chestnut of this size could be from any time 1550-1750." </i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We measured a rough girth at 1.5m of around 9.5m. It has living bits and dying bits, and all kinds of nobbles and bobbles and even a duck nest in a cavity in the end of a big dead limb. The team on the estate are clearly taking good care of the tree although it did seem very compacted around the base. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So while the exact age of this champion specimen is unknown, we can be sure it has a few hundred years under it's belt! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRJUeqOwnrFi-Fudm3odzoRgAxQ_BshCdauv7ZuBvsQaipk3SGZYo3FxtMvDPqwKhCjGm4qjGw-tWWqnQEpj6788h70JMmaKv_OKKpi_AIGDDkHBPalgri_xvzrjYV0MrhuAk0XmAi9I/s320/Photo+30-04-2017%252C+18+22+09.jpg" width="240" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdimhnmGzdjY4OfflcIwcENxq2Knmu0NaQO6zVBj8xhMVhlc9l8skEQV7pFTPtFgEZtxqmU6Ton9ZEVVY1CNzRNpTk5TrCM8Q4xKsWQpv6qJpVNQyMvM6KOSgkbMZFCjMR37_ltZU1zCA/s1600/Photo+30-04-2017%252C+18+24+42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdimhnmGzdjY4OfflcIwcENxq2Knmu0NaQO6zVBj8xhMVhlc9l8skEQV7pFTPtFgEZtxqmU6Ton9ZEVVY1CNzRNpTk5TrCM8Q4xKsWQpv6qJpVNQyMvM6KOSgkbMZFCjMR37_ltZU1zCA/s200/Photo+30-04-2017%252C+18+24+42.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiaVrY1nuk7V16IkOPvOLi7QxpG9idhwk7PZ1T_CZ1XytkeCuF80qw8v0OfioR_xtEvOyOZgWvMUK4CW_GOq_AOVxsyWoxO_9QZnJ1Mo35BPab6ON62pZIBs95kr6k_19RDk1eUokidQ/s1600/Photo+30-04-2017%252C+18+24+49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiaVrY1nuk7V16IkOPvOLi7QxpG9idhwk7PZ1T_CZ1XytkeCuF80qw8v0OfioR_xtEvOyOZgWvMUK4CW_GOq_AOVxsyWoxO_9QZnJ1Mo35BPab6ON62pZIBs95kr6k_19RDk1eUokidQ/s200/Photo+30-04-2017%252C+18+24+49.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1qZLjED6U_UUTyBWCjkmV8dRWwhfu0Iv8UcmbGL9tERNjkMIOkq3MKFQCf8860KDmo_lJiqjHvCslJmWGksSaRrEM0zGPxZAg8crygpWFJry45TPg_ut5GST6FzS-kgL0Di_UMPKX1M/s1600/Photo+30-04-2017%252C+18+27+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1qZLjED6U_UUTyBWCjkmV8dRWwhfu0Iv8UcmbGL9tERNjkMIOkq3MKFQCf8860KDmo_lJiqjHvCslJmWGksSaRrEM0zGPxZAg8crygpWFJry45TPg_ut5GST6FzS-kgL0Di_UMPKX1M/s200/Photo+30-04-2017%252C+18+27+24.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVSUKRBvDDxSAh4LzEZjhW76TQpZGj290yOJc6gYXHe429d3yakFC8IhH75nuUzT2ATdsOYAbYz4vUHrXFEb9c44I7HbFdvltQeZwHS3wS5fDF8yJWvZLZw1cRbWyqlt1_eeeBJcTlns/s1600/Photo+30-04-2017%252C+18+30+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVSUKRBvDDxSAh4LzEZjhW76TQpZGj290yOJc6gYXHe429d3yakFC8IhH75nuUzT2ATdsOYAbYz4vUHrXFEb9c44I7HbFdvltQeZwHS3wS5fDF8yJWvZLZw1cRbWyqlt1_eeeBJcTlns/s200/Photo+30-04-2017%252C+18+30+30.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
<br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-63047592021828901192017-06-04T15:10:00.003+01:002017-06-04T15:10:36.645+01:00Nightjars and their bovine neighbours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Up on a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset_Heaths" target="_blank">Dorset heath</a> there is a small herd of fine white and a few auld <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shetland_cattle" target="_blank">Shetland cattle</a>. These guys are not only braw looking beasts but they are also doing some special that gets them a big thumbs up from the ground-nesting birds. Heathland will get swamped with trees and dense gorse without large herbivores to keep the vegetation at bay. The cattle browse in a way that massively benefits the heathland wildlife.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5NcNBoTsqcCqqIQbKvTAPvCoOYysAYimnFxpQIHGFByf_01dv7kYJFvbfJuWO5RJatycpuAf-LB6enhxRqu-v0n1EiQFttp76BGptJ6B011gq8F44xwNtt4651BO2JfHWYwmU1gjJMA/s1600/IMG_8800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5NcNBoTsqcCqqIQbKvTAPvCoOYysAYimnFxpQIHGFByf_01dv7kYJFvbfJuWO5RJatycpuAf-LB6enhxRqu-v0n1EiQFttp76BGptJ6B011gq8F44xwNtt4651BO2JfHWYwmU1gjJMA/s320/IMG_8800.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We were up there to assist with the monitoring of some of the birds, in particular the <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/n/nightjar/">nightjars</a>. <a href="https://www.bto.org/about-birds/species-focus/nightjar">Nightjars</a> are very special birds with a very cool <a href="http://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/British-wildlife-recordings/022M-W1CDR0001526-2300V0#_" target="_blank">call</a>. Their '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIzjatZaHhE" target="_blank">song</a>' is very distinctive and you can hear it when the males start to sing as the evening fades into dusk for <a href="https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/nightjar" target="_blank">nightjars</a> are birds of the night! By night they fly around hunting moths and other flying insects and by day they sit very tight, so incredibly well camouflaged you would walk right past it without knowing. Only here for part of the year, these birds fly all the way to Africa and well south of the Sahara - see a map <a href="https://www.bto.org/about-birds/species-focus/nightjar" target="_blank">here</a>, and some of these Dorset monitored birds have made this journey at least 10 times! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zata.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Y6IHDu3cn3D7_uYaDO78WLZ3uUQgvqgn3ZVyKs4OmKXO1YAbKJOoTvsJcYhva6aj_1ILz0D3-MgxUhdeM29qmD7cjotcAS76mpAC4CRdfV8fjJJoe3wnLSVr2v5gpnTfGEPGCPBg8UA/s320/Joxerra+Aihartza_1024px-Zata.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zata.jpg">Joxerra Aihartza, WIKIPEDIA</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The evening was full of calling males, a few midges and the occasional w<i>heep wheep </i>call of the male in flight. We were extremely privileged to see one of these fantastic birds up close, a one year old female from last year. Apart from th cryptic plumage, what struck me was the size of those eyes, and we could clearly see the big moth-funnelling bristles at her gape. After reading the ring number and checking on her condition she was quickly released and we caught a glimpse of her as she vanished back into the night.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfD0QKp-qnGZ9PT2EaU8g1k_K8zpJ22FHSHO6KDpX4Lk28wS3zpTUsUrTLgBi9X99Xgevs2O9iLEQLJM0BAABDC-CrhjNuAcQHZ-NkeQ7o2ThIafIsHvnh_eN1q5a3Ob8hxC5xMp6-cA/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfD0QKp-qnGZ9PT2EaU8g1k_K8zpJ22FHSHO6KDpX4Lk28wS3zpTUsUrTLgBi9X99Xgevs2O9iLEQLJM0BAABDC-CrhjNuAcQHZ-NkeQ7o2ThIafIsHvnh_eN1q5a3Ob8hxC5xMp6-cA/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-68253749160819274002017-05-25T18:00:00.000+01:002017-05-25T18:00:18.291+01:00Evenings are magical!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 12px;">Evenings are magical. I loiter by the whispering river to watch the swifts hurtle through the zig-zag air and soon I am covered by hundreds of ghost-white flies and the evening is thick with them. And out of no-where, a barn owl, tinged pink in the last of the glow from a superb sunset hunts his way over the flower-thick fields. As I head home I glimpse him once more, this time mouse heavy, a mouse black shape dangling limp from his talons, as he draws a line between a death among the sweet flowers and the lives it will grow, a line that leads to the clamour of hungry owlets.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDeD777vErllTk11jjG3xKrxUCNNKUdfTkxbDVBkGgER3Z4chYh3YjhqjkmIdH0xZGQ6CwVOIccN0dVqXN1mypYmGWebXA7wi5UGhEciCB5Plw-I7W9MOC0KbOG29IVzHyfU-p4YZvj4/s1600/IMG_8459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDeD777vErllTk11jjG3xKrxUCNNKUdfTkxbDVBkGgER3Z4chYh3YjhqjkmIdH0xZGQ6CwVOIccN0dVqXN1mypYmGWebXA7wi5UGhEciCB5Plw-I7W9MOC0KbOG29IVzHyfU-p4YZvj4/s320/IMG_8459.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-43749070667683492332017-05-04T15:45:00.000+01:002017-05-04T15:45:03.929+01:00The woods are a-wash with bluebells!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Get out there when you can for the woods are awash with that amazing delicate yet vibrant bluebell blue (or is it purple..<a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/36168302@N00/discuss/72157600161359496/" target="_blank">see here</a>). Bird song throngs the forest and I was delighted to hear the thin, wispy call of a firecrest again this morning. Over on a patch of heath, my first tree pipit of the year was in full silver song. And from the hole of a dead sweet chestnut tree I spotted the cheeky beak of a great spotted woodpecker peeking back out at me; Spring is in full swing!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtofyek4JuhJHKK4qAekvEd9nhgKmI5kfCfExA1JmwqEmpW95qY2YppgXbFCLhdBIUH6Ws1eU2YmEpdOw-3YmtnGVYIG95i2F7R-2jl-1hp9CD53NKwMZI-MKn8HMF5OO4ihwrYG036QY/s320/Photo+24-04-2017%252C+15+02+35.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<span id="goog_552675673"></span><span id="goog_552675674"></span><br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-54565548378141034962017-05-04T13:58:00.002+01:002017-05-04T13:58:29.316+01:00Ravens are Go!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Ravens nest early. And what fine big stick nests they have! The great stick nest contains a very cosy lining or nest cup which keeps eggs and young chicks warm during harsh early Spring weather. On a fine late April afternoon we visit a raven pair we have watched for some years now. We hike in to the forest under the watchful eye of the adults who circle high above us. On a previous visit I had crept in unnoticed to hear the strange, deep-throated chatterings and gulping noises of the young ravens. Guano was splattered on the nest edge just in case I was in any doubt of what was up there.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gFs4Xmv0YO9CG98ZDqYG3na_a8QJwHo4ir-99-NRuK0GROesRR2Zj18Z8fi8tFokVCsC955jpvY1EO69Z5RuPMJIZnfa5lp6Pj2AwXbTi7kY3iP6qq0fzhPWpms0CHRR_6baL9peo1I/s1600/Photo+12-04-2017%252C+14+48+16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gFs4Xmv0YO9CG98ZDqYG3na_a8QJwHo4ir-99-NRuK0GROesRR2Zj18Z8fi8tFokVCsC955jpvY1EO69Z5RuPMJIZnfa5lp6Pj2AwXbTi7kY3iP6qq0fzhPWpms0CHRR_6baL9peo1I/s320/Photo+12-04-2017%252C+14+48+16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mDSXx1vOxXf8TT7H1xaS9THKYhm6h2obS2ICC4wTD9q0zbQz1bEEUfhF6z5JNEuTVOYLRnNalEeZM3A3faW0zji3QzYHSARSplmTmUJ0rmWxH2HJMzAWTUypju_dLYU0lfge5Jjflp4/s320/Photo+12-04-2017%252C+18+06+54.jpg" width="240" /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Our
visit to the nest tree is as short and sweet as we can make it: I
quickly climb up to the nest (Blake's Hitch on 13mm arb line DRT and my
amazing CT foot ascender) and lower three fine, plump bellied pulli in a big old
rucksack to the ringing team below. We <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">measure, weigh (</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.23kg, 1.05kg and 0.91kg)</span> and ring them and return them back up into their cosy nest. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our next visit is to a tall, thin Scot's pine.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073786111 1 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;
mso-header-margin:36.0pt;
mso-footer-margin:36.0pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--> </style><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There are good-sized chicks up there shown by a vast zone sprayed white </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">under the tree</span></span>. </span>
The climbing is <i>way</i> more exciting <i>- gulp!</i> - and clinging to a branch I peer around the great stick pile to see
four fabulous ravens. This bigger brood of slightly smaller ravens
(1.06kg, 0.92kg, 0.69kg. 0.65kg) is significant as it is the first here for some years. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This pair </span>built a nest in 2016 (</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">we recognise the female by a particular damage to one wing</span>) </span>but produced no chicks. Hiking back to the car we are happy to see both adults soaring over the wood, and we leave them to their dinner.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span>That was a few weeks ago. The fully grown youngsters soon leave the nest, sitting further and further out along
branches, proving how independent they (almost nearly!)
are. By now the young ravens will be testing those shiny new flight
feathers out. Today there is a fine warm breeze; I wouldn't be surprised if Ravens are already on the wing!</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfH8Tl5rfIHPDk35QVXT4zwAX9lVsZdD8zyS9Mh7ymPImOiA6darkzhYkkqn1cXDESCTbDbB9JV0bR9uuZai0uIm04ujBgU64cQcMwaYYX6xFombXyAz7VqueK7KLqkgchuFFxoCchcc/s1600/Photo+12-04-2017%252C+14+47+42.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfH8Tl5rfIHPDk35QVXT4zwAX9lVsZdD8zyS9Mh7ymPImOiA6darkzhYkkqn1cXDESCTbDbB9JV0bR9uuZai0uIm04ujBgU64cQcMwaYYX6xFombXyAz7VqueK7KLqkgchuFFxoCchcc/s320/Photo+12-04-2017%252C+14+47+42.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-64537428777349695242017-04-26T21:42:00.006+01:002017-04-26T21:42:53.829+01:00Sitting tight come rain or, erm...snow!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">After the hot summery days of mid April we are back to snow. And the sight of Loch Garten's <b><a href="http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/RSPB-Loch-Garten-Osprey-buried-in-snow-incubating-eggs.aspx?s_id=18051105" target="_blank">osprey EJ sitting up to her neck in snow</a> </b>is quite some sight! And tough as it gets for those incubating birds, they just have to sit tight. See how she is getting on on the <b><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/find-a-reserve/reserves-a-z/reserves-by-name/l/lochgarten/abernethyvideo.aspx" target="_blank">Loch Garten WEBCAM</a>.</b> And it is the same for raptors on the other side of the pond: <b><a href="http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2017/03/14/nesting-in-a-snow-storm/" target="_blank">peregrines nesting on the Rachel Carson Building in Pennsylania are also sitting in snow</a></b>! Follow live webcam <a href="http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>. On this day back in 1950, a big snow storm landed in Berkshire, UK and the effects on various species is detailed in this little paper <b><a href="https://www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V44/V44_N02/V44_N02_P057_059_A011.pdf" target="_blank">here</a></b>. And do check out thism a couple of years ago a bald eagle pair also sat out the snow to keep those eggs warm - see the incredible image <b><a href="http://www.audubon.org/news/bald-eagle-parents-get-buried-snow-while-incubating-eggs" target="_blank">here</a></b>!</span></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-24534383583102524992017-03-22T13:02:00.000+00:002017-03-22T13:02:37.648+00:00A plate of cooked songbirds?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>A plate of cooked songbirds?</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b><a href="http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/RSPB-British-military-on-Cyprus-a-safe-haven-for-wildlife-criminals.aspx?s_id=274719698" target="_blank">The British military base on Cyprus is a safe haven for wildlife criminals</a></b> as documented in this excellent article on <b><a href="http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/RSPB-British-military-on-Cyprus-a-safe-haven-for-wildlife-criminals.aspx?s_id=274719698" target="_blank">RBA</a></b> where they state that "<b><i><a href="http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/RSPB-British-military-on-Cyprus-a-safe-haven-for-wildlife-criminals.aspx?s_id=274719698" target="_blank">Over 800,000 songbirds, such as blackcaps and robins, are estimated to have been illegally killed on a British military base in Cyprus last autumn, where illegal trapping activity remains around its highest ever levels, according to a new report.</a>"</i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b><i> </i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/images/articles/2017-03-16ambelopoulia.jpg" height="213" width="320" /> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ambelopoulia - the 'delicacy' driving the illegal killing. (© RSPB) </div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-37892019014088748152017-03-21T23:12:00.001+00:002017-03-21T23:12:10.581+00:00Forests are treasures, focus on Bialowieza<h1 class="page-title" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">On this International Day of Forests 2017 I read that</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.iucn.org/news/iucn-world-heritage-40com/201607/poland-report-impacts-felling-bialowieza-forest-2017-advised-iucn" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Poland is to report on the impacts of felling in <b>Bialowie</b></span></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><b><a href="http://scottishforestbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/in-depths-of-forest-are-bison-and-wolves.html" target="_blank">ż</a></b></span></span></span><a href="https://www.iucn.org/news/iucn-world-heritage-40com/201607/poland-report-impacts-felling-bialowieza-forest-2017-advised-iucn" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>a Forest</b> in 2017, as advised by IUCN.</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">This is after<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank"> </a><span><b><a href="http://scottishforestbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/in-depths-of-forest-are-bison-and-wolves.html" target="_blank">Białowieża Forest</a></b>,
a place of great wonder, complex biological relationships and
marvellous biological richness, faced a great threat in the form of gouvernment sanctioned logging! (<a href="http://scottishforestbirds.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=wolf" target="_blank">see previous blog here</a>)</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span>Let us hope that this great treasure can be fully recognized and fully protected again. </span></span></span></h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnCHvMY3En_LcmHfhSChF1ksEhxEqbFRtodISbPwxxfthaUM0V0SbGLW0_kXO57QCiSHALqJDDRPH-2eykIF2h2sRqusYaFd_R6D_Kk2MW9yBOTOAaI0nngOOTBk6FzqAbupjYoiEE7o/s1600/Fig1_bis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnCHvMY3En_LcmHfhSChF1ksEhxEqbFRtodISbPwxxfthaUM0V0SbGLW0_kXO57QCiSHALqJDDRPH-2eykIF2h2sRqusYaFd_R6D_Kk2MW9yBOTOAaI0nngOOTBk6FzqAbupjYoiEE7o/s320/Fig1_bis.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Summer & winter predator-prey foodwebs in Poland's Białowieża Forest. </span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
With kind permission of <a href="https://cee.mit.edu/node/24783" target="_blank">Serguei Saavedra</a>.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
<br />
<b>Predators</b><br />
PERMANENT: wolf, lynx, red fox, raccoon dog, otter, polecat, and northern goshawk. <br />
SUMMER: badger, lesser-spotted eagle.<br />
<br />
<b>Prey</b><br />
PERMANENT: red deer, boar, hare, squirrel, mice, voles, shrews, passerines, fish and amphibians. <br />
SUMMER: small passerines, reptiles, and insect. <br />
WINTER: European bison. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-13407288096799489852017-03-21T23:01:00.000+00:002017-03-21T23:01:03.187+00:00International Day of Forests 2017!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Today is <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/forest-day" target="_blank">International Day of Forests 2017</a>: to all those who found themselves walking in woods, what did you notice? Did you hear the sweet <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/c/chiffchaff/" target="_blank"><i>chiff chaff</i></a> song of a tiny bird fresh from an African migration? Did you notice the first leaves bursting out of the sycamore buds? Did you feel the all too brief warmth of the Spring sun on your face in between rain showers and a wind with still a bite to it?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
And to those who spent time indoors or only glanced at the woods and forests around us, go visit them soon!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Here are a handful of photos from my great Canadian adventures with Mark and Melissa in the woods of Algonquin last Fall, and what amazing vast expanses of forest they still have, for now.</div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6E7Tip9kzpDW_cHYb8JoLPBamZOhtr9n7_e-E-pGl_hKmyo1PZbhEhR_phh4Jtv0PveR85xRnp9MTmOHY1fBn3C8HCSbHw9fw55n53VsR86vbqep_AHxtMLP48SfoVHzYdHzTno89hw/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="240" /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-2AWy9QX9GNeLPpy4L8yk0lejl5Y05AgTMV0-gsIzChqyaF074VaObKrwWA7Pik_2nSEgx8nmg5mqrbLQ9sW3eleqIBsxDcSlmEzjN-UFmTsi9h1gQznzJXXCl9Lc6tCH7BfVkGBN1o/s1600/FullSizeRender_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-2AWy9QX9GNeLPpy4L8yk0lejl5Y05AgTMV0-gsIzChqyaF074VaObKrwWA7Pik_2nSEgx8nmg5mqrbLQ9sW3eleqIBsxDcSlmEzjN-UFmTsi9h1gQznzJXXCl9Lc6tCH7BfVkGBN1o/s320/FullSizeRender_1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The great White Pines</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And a plethora of Big-toothed Apsen leaves</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHLhDIySHm68z2UYd8XDzKtOY_00M_uB67H_5FH84c7dnIDXLG2RoGK-M8R4mVGrGKVIcxMPdU2d3Y8Mnd-R5cRmTbpXvXUgnqFD00EkOpZPjzXcdH_awJi4hgZrp0DZlvHMEiQyPcg8/s1600/FullSizeRender_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHLhDIySHm68z2UYd8XDzKtOY_00M_uB67H_5FH84c7dnIDXLG2RoGK-M8R4mVGrGKVIcxMPdU2d3Y8Mnd-R5cRmTbpXvXUgnqFD00EkOpZPjzXcdH_awJi4hgZrp0DZlvHMEiQyPcg8/s320/FullSizeRender_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-65680406636933285152017-03-08T13:29:00.002+00:002017-03-08T13:29:34.831+00:00The superb London Planes of Bedford Square!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The superb London Planes of Bedford Square are definitely worth a look. I wandered around the (sadly locked) perimeter of the garden railings and gazed up at the great limbs, and down at the oozing cambium, caught in the act of imperceptibly slow swallowing up the rails.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8HAnqUFmpYaML4EkLPjv3x2GSaLSK8btBmqPQqo_HFqOI2abIrc6PNw5IY58_CBtOXB2DgeILs_qtS-sMxMjvi2vjlsOA0YnEsbbFTlgK2sAOTpISh8VqO-JiTKnT9dZqdHkft23asw/s1600/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+15+09.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8HAnqUFmpYaML4EkLPjv3x2GSaLSK8btBmqPQqo_HFqOI2abIrc6PNw5IY58_CBtOXB2DgeILs_qtS-sMxMjvi2vjlsOA0YnEsbbFTlgK2sAOTpISh8VqO-JiTKnT9dZqdHkft23asw/s320/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+15+09.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYojVPSyP3dhJBrzq0gzxNfs24aysvofy4XVrfdC1nMzQJmof0flCwFaJ_YMVWW9KwPITXfV0N0qpZB2rdsb25knwOJ1w-3eqlXSoqpPIlyGvE1ocaVI2w7WhvvoKdZ0B8mHP81TY-LSk/s1600/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+10+12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYojVPSyP3dhJBrzq0gzxNfs24aysvofy4XVrfdC1nMzQJmof0flCwFaJ_YMVWW9KwPITXfV0N0qpZB2rdsb25knwOJ1w-3eqlXSoqpPIlyGvE1ocaVI2w7WhvvoKdZ0B8mHP81TY-LSk/s320/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+10+12.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabDWlZWQvoMbMvJA-OFKCoZ2qON-XleE2wFyK7Cn6_qwaVN3gpLzOGbfVfNE6zrSpnsxvDQ2MqiM6JBeo7P3KD5iJ8emsBsm0p0hKgpNfmcz8jw5QFRalt6O2gRGlB1B9GqM3Yow8ZIU/s1600/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+13+44.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabDWlZWQvoMbMvJA-OFKCoZ2qON-XleE2wFyK7Cn6_qwaVN3gpLzOGbfVfNE6zrSpnsxvDQ2MqiM6JBeo7P3KD5iJ8emsBsm0p0hKgpNfmcz8jw5QFRalt6O2gRGlB1B9GqM3Yow8ZIU/s320/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+13+44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBr9cYoEk4MNH74f_wej1VbGkGCsH_FzQZTtFCMoFSXSczYJXOQDo8HIx-Z33Tzib1HtlL0nxbXcxNMH1RtfgOFCLAaMg5tv-sOlGiWAXwT4p4TQ2qgVFeNoBtJBhrIxlw1kB1FnZBJxk/s1600/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+12+39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBr9cYoEk4MNH74f_wej1VbGkGCsH_FzQZTtFCMoFSXSczYJXOQDo8HIx-Z33Tzib1HtlL0nxbXcxNMH1RtfgOFCLAaMg5tv-sOlGiWAXwT4p4TQ2qgVFeNoBtJBhrIxlw1kB1FnZBJxk/s200/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+12+39.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LDWaXB7r8cFk4DxtnNLAuXjMJxXPxVe0sLiZ-G8Z9YxVod_O-JvVQfRtxfdgxRBMM0vssqtqRhg2NQYIkeHnF5RE26P1vybw_G59MvsDLNDr2YiSRRxciEmNk3wsxyFhk6ivmm7SQb4/s1600/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+12+50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LDWaXB7r8cFk4DxtnNLAuXjMJxXPxVe0sLiZ-G8Z9YxVod_O-JvVQfRtxfdgxRBMM0vssqtqRhg2NQYIkeHnF5RE26P1vybw_G59MvsDLNDr2YiSRRxciEmNk3wsxyFhk6ivmm7SQb4/s200/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+12+50.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRokToEhSOi5OqzRMjk14b0ZobTWeo1iiBkc5AOdc2VmrMk6rc4oMwAe_f88CGhQXZuyybv7AtVSUVT5LJKbUKlHR4lioCO9tFvCtzgeb5UInsaVWD85zQRs9wKQfObSiGmvX0HqyDwuc/s1600/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+15+59.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRokToEhSOi5OqzRMjk14b0ZobTWeo1iiBkc5AOdc2VmrMk6rc4oMwAe_f88CGhQXZuyybv7AtVSUVT5LJKbUKlHR4lioCO9tFvCtzgeb5UInsaVWD85zQRs9wKQfObSiGmvX0HqyDwuc/s200/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+15+59.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-WAFpwCzI0WEOUjpnfzGvSs8YmFdd9YUhZhsIDbyFffdr_nPKLPzgY1Lt5au8oYlHnX-8Ol993DP2zXYgrD8JCCcvTJmLaYgdRbMAIsO_-QqJxhuOy5k0bfVrF_OH-OKQxSyd1kLgPo/s1600/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+15+25.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-WAFpwCzI0WEOUjpnfzGvSs8YmFdd9YUhZhsIDbyFffdr_nPKLPzgY1Lt5au8oYlHnX-8Ol993DP2zXYgrD8JCCcvTJmLaYgdRbMAIsO_-QqJxhuOy5k0bfVrF_OH-OKQxSyd1kLgPo/s200/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+15+25.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpBc8yqCwgpKxAeD6A5tBt3HMGPSIUF5liJv_hC8H2w9JttjcCW9kkH1T_euq7qrDjly0QqPtDljzMtHpMysw3mMo3rW-YPL-5WWHUZCFcOMG38MdTffD1mv4UkZLRMJEWViBnUUiUW8/s1600/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+14+13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpBc8yqCwgpKxAeD6A5tBt3HMGPSIUF5liJv_hC8H2w9JttjcCW9kkH1T_euq7qrDjly0QqPtDljzMtHpMysw3mMo3rW-YPL-5WWHUZCFcOMG38MdTffD1mv4UkZLRMJEWViBnUUiUW8/s320/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+12+14+13.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uf23AG4OFhTRz9aMutvabg3dCeZbRsmvb3yzfOTojZzrjPjW_phYH9RMoCE1bm0k6a_ggQ7ULlOTs9BR9YYy6HZuFjhY7y7v_jmG7gFyF03woLo3_Mfjs4a1DunH_z_jOVhXH6iyg3w/s1600/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+14+23+08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uf23AG4OFhTRz9aMutvabg3dCeZbRsmvb3yzfOTojZzrjPjW_phYH9RMoCE1bm0k6a_ggQ7ULlOTs9BR9YYy6HZuFjhY7y7v_jmG7gFyF03woLo3_Mfjs4a1DunH_z_jOVhXH6iyg3w/s320/Photo+06-03-2017%252C+14+23+08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-87954613246437179812017-03-06T09:01:00.001+00:002017-03-06T09:01:07.259+00:00Sequoias in trouble?<div style="text-align: justify;">
As the planet warms, some species are able to change their ranges. Some plants are however so vast and slow growing, and so restricted in their needs that the future is a little bleak. Check out these thoughts on the future for the redwoods of North America on the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03h30g8" target="_blank">BBC 4's Shared Planet programme</a>, origionally broadcast 2013. Also check out James up a fine redwood giant in <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00l14wp" target="_blank">James and the Giant tree</a>!</div>
<a class="external free" href="http://www.world-wide-gifts.com/" rel="nofollow"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="external free" href="http://www.world-wide-gifts.com/" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1evkJ-nyefTYtP_WyoVHCPOP6zmQsfhorYmTR5exk_3oWZ46ClSHXjtNDKAJW3jisUfpyPLnBg0TgxT8dXo6KsOhDRmXF_AzM-aD3XaMn8x3jMHFhkCdRuxli5_uBOeTAZfcxuQqaGw4/s320/United_States_-_California_-_Sequoia_National_Park_-_General_Sherman_Tree_-_Panorama.jpg" width="111" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="external free" href="http://www.world-wide-gifts.com/" rel="nofollow">General Sherman Tree</a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/United_States_-_California_-_Sequoia_National_Park_-_General_Sherman_Tree_-_Panorama.jpg" target="_blank">see here for full size image!</a></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-1947090745705935702017-03-05T19:58:00.000+00:002017-03-05T19:58:02.133+00:00In the heart of Thorncombe Wood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
In the heart of <a href="https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/thorncombewood" target="_blank">Thorncombe Wood</a> are amazing big pines, ancient sweet chestnuts and and great beeches. The woods are now alive to the sounds of bird song with woodpeckers pecking at wood, and yaffling, the strident call of the nuthatch pealing from afar and those siskins really going for it in the oak above me. Here are a few photos of an awesome sweet chestnut, stacks of hazel rods in the hazel coppice, a line of sweet chestnut fencing, a glimpse of a wild beast of the forest, and an ancient fallen tree. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSepyF6H8T2DrnRR7UoTGrbfH4_22VdHvcyQ1VU139oihTHrieOkCNOGRv8xczYD80a2SntxlpVUMdUnyI4GD0shRmEDMO5f0057o8drWrHkMaU5HD6cDU9RUWD1TApT-29BujmsZuhI/s1600/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+12+44+39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSepyF6H8T2DrnRR7UoTGrbfH4_22VdHvcyQ1VU139oihTHrieOkCNOGRv8xczYD80a2SntxlpVUMdUnyI4GD0shRmEDMO5f0057o8drWrHkMaU5HD6cDU9RUWD1TApT-29BujmsZuhI/s320/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+12+44+39.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuQUmFzL8CNmQFr9yrRDr1bzPjqhOc4Gu7ribxyhkKHpocJE-Ke9RtIShO06Rffndf6Fqp9JaOcPBn8eqq0tXc26k3jwWP_Vvc3orDd1UcimxwSQS_i9EWgEgybjWqipQm0KeQ0wfkvg/s1600/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+13+36+44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuQUmFzL8CNmQFr9yrRDr1bzPjqhOc4Gu7ribxyhkKHpocJE-Ke9RtIShO06Rffndf6Fqp9JaOcPBn8eqq0tXc26k3jwWP_Vvc3orDd1UcimxwSQS_i9EWgEgybjWqipQm0KeQ0wfkvg/s320/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+13+36+44.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXgblKE6IRp2oxphCAM62SDl_eU7sLdpNbIiNhauVWUaB0M1fo1988gbq3U94jRs7bU3RWChA_oiW11xW_GVKA5I1tnzXegm0XcAIsf3Bj2MUSe6n1Zf5PyeplAWPy7YA2qRNE5fEu9k/s1600/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+13+44+06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXgblKE6IRp2oxphCAM62SDl_eU7sLdpNbIiNhauVWUaB0M1fo1988gbq3U94jRs7bU3RWChA_oiW11xW_GVKA5I1tnzXegm0XcAIsf3Bj2MUSe6n1Zf5PyeplAWPy7YA2qRNE5fEu9k/s320/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+13+44+06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPn-QNNcJo2XoInH3U2FBjr0GBLf9qFWKzDjhIzq2rWKAiIEYi8xnRaevIyPq8oAI_bLvy4IqoCNHUg18M6Z_5k0b8VhhXvI9t74dgY2lvYrCWkrA78akmMS7z01nETNg-yY7kqzU8jc/s1600/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+13+47+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPn-QNNcJo2XoInH3U2FBjr0GBLf9qFWKzDjhIzq2rWKAiIEYi8xnRaevIyPq8oAI_bLvy4IqoCNHUg18M6Z_5k0b8VhhXvI9t74dgY2lvYrCWkrA78akmMS7z01nETNg-yY7kqzU8jc/s320/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+13+47+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarMbjuz7l5qmNGSota7YNIM2GnP227IuhsRhsM2XF9QZEdnABP4xoUPknPLbS5V7nmshghoIcwMWllcHuMay676e0Gz1-a2UJMskpM0M9O1vNXID6BTunZbbiOhhF1f2s8kS5dfi5KDM/s1600/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+13+30+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarMbjuz7l5qmNGSota7YNIM2GnP227IuhsRhsM2XF9QZEdnABP4xoUPknPLbS5V7nmshghoIcwMWllcHuMay676e0Gz1-a2UJMskpM0M9O1vNXID6BTunZbbiOhhF1f2s8kS5dfi5KDM/s320/Photo+28-02-2017%252C+13+30+30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-73903381488641629982017-03-02T21:32:00.001+00:002017-03-02T21:32:19.438+00:00My latest great read!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Ever hear do the <i>woodwide web</i>? Well, read on! <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/12/peter-wohlleben-man-who-believes-trees-talk-to-each-other" target="_blank">Peter </a><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/12/peter-wohlleben-man-who-believes-trees-talk-to-each-other" target="_blank">Peter Wohlleben,</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/30/world/europe/german-forest-ranger-finds-that-trees-have-social-networks-too.html?_r=0" target="_blank">who calls towering beeches his friends</a>, is full of intriguing and fascinating facts and info. I have just started this and am looking forward to learning to see more when I enter <a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-10-23/hidden-life-trees-asks-us-rethink-our-relationship-worlds-forests" target="_blank">the forest.</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljtEiVoRQd4g_xK3SFJ__0UqMU-vlg8Jmu2NO1DfgeewbdZ-R4hrppAhgIQjJMaOS-byj1POFu00n2qNoMz8xxhZb6VQCgEWHt6sTfolYZ3ZlwBgKbSrWLcMvyd3a9LIcIHRfc6cPNXo/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="221" /></div>
<br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-31243718020172453242017-02-24T08:30:00.000+00:002017-02-24T08:30:12.208+00:00London trees: Richmond 4<div style="text-align: center;">
A gorgeous sunset through oaks in Richmond Park</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LFMGjRDOmyVdwE_oaIKVEKX5WAeJpe-fz6Vnf_0uQCPFUHYDWg-ZzFgvAS_dFd0PG2z6o_kujq5KRjr1gJPzFnpq1WcD6GHCmjvVEgC7BIdSBgX7WIzgKDxtn9npUyPRjS-f5gUz3_0/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+15+06+52.jpg" width="320" /></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-60181113189738429962017-02-23T08:30:00.000+00:002017-02-23T08:30:11.162+00:00LONDON TREES: Richmond 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Three fine trees in Richmond Park, London</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqkEKRuT89giSot-WkMPV3gU2pUdpEhsFQp90HFay26rvrOldJoEjWHgoC-eOikYfmyi8BNoeaQdhCM_aPZXOm_mIMcc5DvmPafUwW22yTvc_uFI_xRSOW82jiywFCoAhZ1DDhUA2s4Y/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+52+08.jpg" width="240" /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWQWVXfBSKVX2Q1B2naOv96ZZmlVBqp-Fykp29tye5DtHCiq9zc7UfwrV65Z94QKqTkdgaoniveFrpS1v_Sk2DTNxQjO_MoZ3sar031xqCau1JdddkqygYsU0dFsDDt7D1GVW7J6O2tM/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+48+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWQWVXfBSKVX2Q1B2naOv96ZZmlVBqp-Fykp29tye5DtHCiq9zc7UfwrV65Z94QKqTkdgaoniveFrpS1v_Sk2DTNxQjO_MoZ3sar031xqCau1JdddkqygYsU0dFsDDt7D1GVW7J6O2tM/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+48+02.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqK0bEXBWidkI7vsat3JSvJ-jOKjIXxd4oXJ8ekjG_uDdUT_-0aXgzp1TTfimro9XuW4wHzDWNDf0hvs5wuXUxmLCgVhsd9l1uTNHG_tnpQDsG5vRLvXSsd7_DzVLOOGyOrbZk4Odw5E/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+33+32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqK0bEXBWidkI7vsat3JSvJ-jOKjIXxd4oXJ8ekjG_uDdUT_-0aXgzp1TTfimro9XuW4wHzDWNDf0hvs5wuXUxmLCgVhsd9l1uTNHG_tnpQDsG5vRLvXSsd7_DzVLOOGyOrbZk4Odw5E/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+33+32.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-82098948443678088902017-02-22T20:20:00.001+00:002017-02-22T20:20:48.710+00:00LONDON TREES: Richmond 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.ancienttreeforum.co.uk/ancient-trees/ancient-tree-sites-to-visit/london-the-south-east/the-royal-oak-richmond-park/" target="_blank">The Royal Oak</a> of <a href="https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park" target="_blank">Richmond Park</a> is a mighty fine, is a tad creepy, ancient oak tree. It might look a little worse for wear but then again, it is thought to be around 750 years of age and still going strong! It has been <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding" target="_blank">pollarded</a> for centuries, a practice which helps it live longer. See below for another example of pollarding.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3sDeTRZ9kCGfW4Gb0wJdJzUlsfIDtCbnygDmNsjEIc9fIuHLMsATtK_bDK3sZE-dsOfsZ8tQpqVECpmCYde31AmUtiLEEkaPrFaXOCgs2xx3O4AGUoNMUyqpxZYex7Royw1qBJEOWqI/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+21+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3sDeTRZ9kCGfW4Gb0wJdJzUlsfIDtCbnygDmNsjEIc9fIuHLMsATtK_bDK3sZE-dsOfsZ8tQpqVECpmCYde31AmUtiLEEkaPrFaXOCgs2xx3O4AGUoNMUyqpxZYex7Royw1qBJEOWqI/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+21+20.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUzFC1z4-hUImWzjJ6YWHPON8TODDNzLVRjZzCi9RTMgzrYoAw3hlQ_qc6SXwL4pP3phcQ0PXK1bANfpzcMXTB-LHMaXZ9uT74N13LVzNKKw6ysMhn1u7DBL8S-zYALbNmWcxeyea9oc/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+21+39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUzFC1z4-hUImWzjJ6YWHPON8TODDNzLVRjZzCi9RTMgzrYoAw3hlQ_qc6SXwL4pP3phcQ0PXK1bANfpzcMXTB-LHMaXZ9uT74N13LVzNKKw6ysMhn1u7DBL8S-zYALbNmWcxeyea9oc/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+21+39.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMg00ivLca_dv7uta4exgIJdUJMmR_0fbFP4oVsfKvxkbty1yFBc0hpnfTVLoxvv3gAC4g7gqCZ-GaoK0JySnNjvxOdWP9FvAIan4uoQjYWrWYchRwXgN30A-959KUTcVIISA0YWJkcCA/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+23+09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMg00ivLca_dv7uta4exgIJdUJMmR_0fbFP4oVsfKvxkbty1yFBc0hpnfTVLoxvv3gAC4g7gqCZ-GaoK0JySnNjvxOdWP9FvAIan4uoQjYWrWYchRwXgN30A-959KUTcVIISA0YWJkcCA/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+23+09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfTT0KQfUjRjFAi9g8r5b9KKX4oWjmCnaUUrkKGOjGnzcclyJJJzEVnOibi2FFTkg3s-bafZ6e94-IyOp6ESz3RFRi2TiR0bBaC-hY1Q7VU4fxGGy2O761tN9N36Xi8cGfaqGaBWBSoI/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+15+29+32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfTT0KQfUjRjFAi9g8r5b9KKX4oWjmCnaUUrkKGOjGnzcclyJJJzEVnOibi2FFTkg3s-bafZ6e94-IyOp6ESz3RFRi2TiR0bBaC-hY1Q7VU4fxGGy2O761tN9N36Xi8cGfaqGaBWBSoI/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+15+29+32.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3S-xI2_6IukB-rW7c1Gc9JzGN1URzi-6mV5inVMzXFB6GA2KjOefm5rxRWcmkAbowT3Er4qAZViBehVHQhZsfV0hE_YHbPY10P5pmDT5z8FemJvr5snJV8qbmJewXQVzQX8tS_bnZL28/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+15+39+37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3S-xI2_6IukB-rW7c1Gc9JzGN1URzi-6mV5inVMzXFB6GA2KjOefm5rxRWcmkAbowT3Er4qAZViBehVHQhZsfV0hE_YHbPY10P5pmDT5z8FemJvr5snJV8qbmJewXQVzQX8tS_bnZL28/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+15+39+37.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-50301945760669199682017-02-22T20:02:00.000+00:002017-02-22T20:02:17.178+00:00LONDON TREES: Richmond 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Oak trees everywhere, and all of them hundreds of years older than me - <i>what</i> a place! I'm in <a href="https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park" target="_blank">Richmond Park</a>, and I am surrounded by huge, old oaks, hundreds of years of age. Time moves more slowly here. I settle myself with my against this fine tree and gaze up at the limb stretching out above my head. The sun is dazzling, and warm on my skin although the air in the shadows is bitter cold.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The sky is that pure blue when there are no clouds
and everything seems to hangs motionless, quietly. Tattered lobed leaves fall slowly, irregularly, like big crisp snowflakes; spider webs shine in the sharp light; and some kind of small flies follow some kind of dance. I look up above me at the scratch of claw on branch and notice now the jackdaws
anxiously guard nest holes, guarding them from each other and from the noisy, squawking parakeets that are also eyeing up old woodpecker holes and tree cavities. The sun drops and the air is cold; I stand up, stretch, and wander slowly back through the woods towards the perimeter, towards the world of houses and cars and bustle. My meandering path takes me towards an curious oak, small and squat though with a nice canopy; it is only when I am right close up that I realise quite how big it is - a very impressive tree!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8xlhb0b86lVZln62zJ2GRqOIvd0sTRdHR8TAKkIQSpcZegjIBTcaY9R8CLZ-DbX78Osc2X5lf-6OQaTi14XPEemImVuUtv0jC47lEPho8gayFzXul0WSMlUhzfKZLYB5I_SLamtu3zA/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+39+16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8xlhb0b86lVZln62zJ2GRqOIvd0sTRdHR8TAKkIQSpcZegjIBTcaY9R8CLZ-DbX78Osc2X5lf-6OQaTi14XPEemImVuUtv0jC47lEPho8gayFzXul0WSMlUhzfKZLYB5I_SLamtu3zA/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+39+16.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfhDc68Q7hmzEukljFrM4OTNTEu6kdgmzUWvpASV7JTxGkmaaBgcWJ6bVpKUrDKYvTK-zDisUX8NnkINaheHgmUPt6wYQIP3uA6YD0Lhm-4KpjbaCiQyxYH62B5Z3aozqZz1EUW7D6vo/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+42+48.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXc2A7QpB6wc5EzV_jDW1-ATdrgM7VTjKnAYRTtWnc22tYznya0pnTCmuxIhDo6ZWmqynEh0xR1qxb4qRUU_YfCE5wqhSjo0TcdRlfXQacPQXn1Ik5Y9JN0EMBIhjBVmJKeGKI1k-a_oQ/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+43+43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXc2A7QpB6wc5EzV_jDW1-ATdrgM7VTjKnAYRTtWnc22tYznya0pnTCmuxIhDo6ZWmqynEh0xR1qxb4qRUU_YfCE5wqhSjo0TcdRlfXQacPQXn1Ik5Y9JN0EMBIhjBVmJKeGKI1k-a_oQ/s200/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+43+43.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeZkqqiosGPzHdHEKojWmNkwP4u2QspPJUXwJHjE9OHihAfRs9p8b_3lOmKul5p2h7jnZ-pu2deg9iLMh6cW80n6m-nD5FRajYL8GeRbQaKbSNcntSecSYIoawN47adpeIIeF4rqVy7s/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+51+38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeZkqqiosGPzHdHEKojWmNkwP4u2QspPJUXwJHjE9OHihAfRs9p8b_3lOmKul5p2h7jnZ-pu2deg9iLMh6cW80n6m-nD5FRajYL8GeRbQaKbSNcntSecSYIoawN47adpeIIeF4rqVy7s/s200/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+51+38.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyP5TDOSSj-bfsRi4D5ZM67nbfmQ3ogPkWYX9Dun1DKsunCfy12GwPfTAte-8r0iPXlIqcQjLOT_TT2zO4oe4ddHLsZKtXAMixLpB_Kzfk9Bqs9o_6qrmUVhXv8174OiTnRbLltC3heIw/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+54+59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyP5TDOSSj-bfsRi4D5ZM67nbfmQ3ogPkWYX9Dun1DKsunCfy12GwPfTAte-8r0iPXlIqcQjLOT_TT2zO4oe4ddHLsZKtXAMixLpB_Kzfk9Bqs9o_6qrmUVhXv8174OiTnRbLltC3heIw/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+54+59.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPMs4Yrd0hxcnDDJ9lgYSPasW3hp6y4XLu_0WgSzyYaXZPc5Gf1542hVQGUEiksmNyqM1OWGcApiZUD39Xnhv7uzwdEOgAJgv4qk3mubeFKoOH_Jfww74AoaVhLyRQTbBk1Bp79NR4ZQ/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+59+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPMs4Yrd0hxcnDDJ9lgYSPasW3hp6y4XLu_0WgSzyYaXZPc5Gf1542hVQGUEiksmNyqM1OWGcApiZUD39Xnhv7uzwdEOgAJgv4qk3mubeFKoOH_Jfww74AoaVhLyRQTbBk1Bp79NR4ZQ/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+13+59+14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-2XX8TxuPDPFHG-zow1QzlJbD53liOJ98rhkIKAupr2k8h0Fk_jr1ugub64FYDOjojqbXN4_HCeHTQCYLyRKtZJApbBRdD5jsXH9p1HCJa0ZHzq0vCAHBlrpcxK8bL7sJMloUBV-lLY/s1600/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+06+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-2XX8TxuPDPFHG-zow1QzlJbD53liOJ98rhkIKAupr2k8h0Fk_jr1ugub64FYDOjojqbXN4_HCeHTQCYLyRKtZJApbBRdD5jsXH9p1HCJa0ZHzq0vCAHBlrpcxK8bL7sJMloUBV-lLY/s320/Photo+01-12-2016%252C+14+06+10.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-61190243415967308792017-02-17T08:30:00.000+00:002017-02-17T08:30:16.731+00:00LONDON TREES: Barney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I bet what I am about to say will come as a surprise and it certainly surprised me: <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/londons-best-trees-8613763.html" target="_blank">London is said to be the largest Urban Forest in the world</a>! Aside from the great number of trees, there are also some truly <a href="http://londonist.com/2016/08/london-s-tallest-tree" target="_blank">tall</a> and huge trees too. One such beauty is a Barnes wonder, and it even has a name, <a href="http://www.aranya.co.uk/td/tdTrees.php?type=Tree&id=139&tree=trees" target="_blank">Barney</a>, the giant <a href="http://www.aranya.co.uk/planes/images/BarnElmsOldPlaneTrunk.jpg" target="_blank">Barne's London Plane</a>. The fabulous <a href="http://www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/13EDCE24-4221-46DA-AC95-DCA87542FB01/0/ATHLondonwebtrail.pdf" target="_blank">Ancient Tree Hunt of London</a> lists Barney as having <a href="http://www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/13EDCE24-4221-46DA-AC95-DCA87542FB01/0/ATHLondonwebtrail.pdf" target="_blank">an astonishing <b>girth of 8.2m</b> and</a> and as one of London's oldest plane trees it may date back from 1660. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_%C3%97_acerifolia" target="_blank">London Plane</a> is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_%C3%97_acerifolia" target="_blank">hybrid between two species of normally geographically isolated planes </a> that may have occurred in Spain or possibly in Vauhall, London. It flourished at a time when London was mired in smog and soot and the 'magic' rejuvenating bark of the plane meant these trees could survive the clogging grime. See more of the history <a href="http://londonist.com/2015/03/the-secret-history-of-the-london-plane-tree" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.johnmedhurstlandscape.co.uk/platanus-x-hispanica-detail-text/" target="_blank">here</a>. <a href="https://foursquare.com/kevan/list/the-great-trees-of-london" target="_blank">Here are some more great trees of London</a> to go out and re-discover. And don't forget to pop in and say hi to <a href="http://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/barn-elms/" target="_blank">Barney</a>!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjealIeNu4wYAR3m5HEb5Ujd_NQ4i2uwx64sHEcBr2xonbCK3jqjLLHHNSN_cboOyjy3efZ-hv6nqMR1DJWPqP6f8LbPlhEHcdqyvAIjILPt3-YR7Z88zQs0DA7XItj5YYhR9bVLw2OUsA/s640/Photo+05-02-2017%252C+10+46+22.jpg" width="480" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCV5Fi9gVuG6VF9fEdmZh4foq4jXTjajBvTPPLnKNfUPmeZtHus2uVij_KDO_kUK-XZ64o-a8bQ8fc7QAOEWM10eSM-hi0x3C6hUelatqyM4-UddB1rvinYO2pRaas84CgGqcVeP2aQQ/s1600/FullSizeRender_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCV5Fi9gVuG6VF9fEdmZh4foq4jXTjajBvTPPLnKNfUPmeZtHus2uVij_KDO_kUK-XZ64o-a8bQ8fc7QAOEWM10eSM-hi0x3C6hUelatqyM4-UddB1rvinYO2pRaas84CgGqcVeP2aQQ/s400/FullSizeRender_2.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87y9xD9NqUun3pltK_R3LjURTpj6uc9z_zmtjgUqulhBM6maNSKKhtwwR86TuDBu9yd2xlUcIPuEE5ULXrvZVqm80eydzafI3VflzAognUF1RVXe-07xywYok3dqdFanKDC3DhqVOZIo/s1600/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+12+43+28.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87y9xD9NqUun3pltK_R3LjURTpj6uc9z_zmtjgUqulhBM6maNSKKhtwwR86TuDBu9yd2xlUcIPuEE5ULXrvZVqm80eydzafI3VflzAognUF1RVXe-07xywYok3dqdFanKDC3DhqVOZIo/s640/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+12+43+28.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjhizjkMxZAOUgUS_B6Pr03IYyP6h7v9sLulydPIYcKYbAeGfFXhungjC1HMQhKvw7FfSt7COt5wyTujMxLFCfW3GAGhD6JLDmAanUdtNIIKw0I_0qQHyVcSZVejBItWt7xjiHL6QbcU/s1600/Carla+Barney+5th+feb+2017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjhizjkMxZAOUgUS_B6Pr03IYyP6h7v9sLulydPIYcKYbAeGfFXhungjC1HMQhKvw7FfSt7COt5wyTujMxLFCfW3GAGhD6JLDmAanUdtNIIKw0I_0qQHyVcSZVejBItWt7xjiHL6QbcU/s200/Carla+Barney+5th+feb+2017.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18EycDOcYH-O8rrFgSi6hg8MWddd1CPGUJTaAkYCwAI0GWcqikCBDZTyZNFyzOPlbzVTP078PkO_MK0h_U1I6ozeTYV0knMPW1YhaH9rZv5EM18xe4VhYe7HiZDXxvp_FZ9mo4zzSU1Y/s1600/FullSizeRender_4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18EycDOcYH-O8rrFgSi6hg8MWddd1CPGUJTaAkYCwAI0GWcqikCBDZTyZNFyzOPlbzVTP078PkO_MK0h_U1I6ozeTYV0knMPW1YhaH9rZv5EM18xe4VhYe7HiZDXxvp_FZ9mo4zzSU1Y/s200/FullSizeRender_4.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
Below are some other particularly notable planes...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelQWew8kh2d1sY8f8zhEiK9iwV8uOnrkThhi7gsdFo556Jngw87XTFNuXLT4Q95tfY8nu7zGMcY1UoLqP2xoDU8DNLgr8Y5ovg9Cy6l7pQCpUthI-b82Rm_YDg7Pe_wT-qgcGlJJ05nA/s1600/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+12+00+42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelQWew8kh2d1sY8f8zhEiK9iwV8uOnrkThhi7gsdFo556Jngw87XTFNuXLT4Q95tfY8nu7zGMcY1UoLqP2xoDU8DNLgr8Y5ovg9Cy6l7pQCpUthI-b82Rm_YDg7Pe_wT-qgcGlJJ05nA/s320/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+12+00+42.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybvnYUFuat6w5OiwilEl1GyAQ4EEcvpIMSybLukuBum2Mtzg1VDB5NiagT5UhDa86E7L8NmdoCRKI5vsaTQdXAKGVzcyMXswps-Vi6YnWF8xrUXqMbmMQ5OaYqATeiWOho2k3xKX2_MM/s1600/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+12+05+54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybvnYUFuat6w5OiwilEl1GyAQ4EEcvpIMSybLukuBum2Mtzg1VDB5NiagT5UhDa86E7L8NmdoCRKI5vsaTQdXAKGVzcyMXswps-Vi6YnWF8xrUXqMbmMQ5OaYqATeiWOho2k3xKX2_MM/s200/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+12+05+54.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYXhD6BAd70WzugWuwytVwErOClT01KFN3kbgJKFkCDnIblLVvQEDmwvDuzxeclOPazqXkvCkLpdCfaIHdIG-5aVWlAiHwtPre_o4AQoeyH46jv3nVigHkZvpeGgpMtZz3hxnRT-v1r0/s1600/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+12+39+56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYXhD6BAd70WzugWuwytVwErOClT01KFN3kbgJKFkCDnIblLVvQEDmwvDuzxeclOPazqXkvCkLpdCfaIHdIG-5aVWlAiHwtPre_o4AQoeyH46jv3nVigHkZvpeGgpMtZz3hxnRT-v1r0/s200/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+12+39+56.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq1VzFZW121p4WX7_UjpcJ8FG0ESdxhznReJy5V6OsYR0PEf5DAoRAu08nwWINJop39YFYEXwZWBc7XWCnGhBP-Etx_HOUjF19ONQDXHgLUW3BuwdMRUbV79VsCxctFJ7e6Dj4RsvcnA/s1600/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+20+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq1VzFZW121p4WX7_UjpcJ8FG0ESdxhznReJy5V6OsYR0PEf5DAoRAu08nwWINJop39YFYEXwZWBc7XWCnGhBP-Etx_HOUjF19ONQDXHgLUW3BuwdMRUbV79VsCxctFJ7e6Dj4RsvcnA/s320/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+20+17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IfKW9ElXmNjF9MQCECQjuN7fqTNGYNo-tFEfM9mYspieU1Ld-MEdnyX1jpKRrxJV1eFtj-ceJZYl8_C6qoPO3otqK1s-mO-jtSkhUGU-djS7bXkr7lvIbx7FxzsleHS4lRfpbrDafEc/s1600/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+15+48.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IfKW9ElXmNjF9MQCECQjuN7fqTNGYNo-tFEfM9mYspieU1Ld-MEdnyX1jpKRrxJV1eFtj-ceJZYl8_C6qoPO3otqK1s-mO-jtSkhUGU-djS7bXkr7lvIbx7FxzsleHS4lRfpbrDafEc/s200/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+15+48.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIktfPA_5P3UWE2Qlh_jF_e66jbOVycX1GpIdH7VGoKkF3gT8hEyHj0StBqmxbpRPHQ4L3zMK9-YacBOl8-VGQI4dk_Gp4FPxMVKGtCviX-pM6Yf3TG-l_16bc32-UeGl7hUXzY8F14M/s1600/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+20+49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIktfPA_5P3UWE2Qlh_jF_e66jbOVycX1GpIdH7VGoKkF3gT8hEyHj0StBqmxbpRPHQ4L3zMK9-YacBOl8-VGQI4dk_Gp4FPxMVKGtCviX-pM6Yf3TG-l_16bc32-UeGl7hUXzY8F14M/s200/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+20+49.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRKtZIcwPOWl4TNbvyc8fTJKHVOP7qgyQ-jxugDupzxvkkJANmXJSaYXgEhJYVBg9ljrMFKq1TSRjoX4f2JBOH3N9_qnvyEJUxqMOKwNQmINd6CluiLS5ZGIEiO_w6GvTauXp5KKuaek/s1600/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+28+07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRKtZIcwPOWl4TNbvyc8fTJKHVOP7qgyQ-jxugDupzxvkkJANmXJSaYXgEhJYVBg9ljrMFKq1TSRjoX4f2JBOH3N9_qnvyEJUxqMOKwNQmINd6CluiLS5ZGIEiO_w6GvTauXp5KKuaek/s400/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+28+07.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2em8WEfDufxK7MU79Q7V381xhwvDBnKwk95-xcbhxbHSQM1W0Y16ntbkNMyFQC-tRgGht5z7J387Eq4dXULMNRXSJ56RvtEk2GcpRLkAJci4TNqwqNs8QXE-VXNgDW6oq-H7v8ogG3gc/s1600/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+22+34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2em8WEfDufxK7MU79Q7V381xhwvDBnKwk95-xcbhxbHSQM1W0Y16ntbkNMyFQC-tRgGht5z7J387Eq4dXULMNRXSJ56RvtEk2GcpRLkAJci4TNqwqNs8QXE-VXNgDW6oq-H7v8ogG3gc/s640/Photo+05-12-2016%252C+14+22+34.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-54789651606922860262017-02-16T21:12:00.003+00:002017-02-16T21:12:43.655+00:00Where to plant trees...!It is great to plant trees, as the <a href="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/" target="_blank">Woodland Trust</a> will be first to tell you. But maybe not <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-38955586" target="_blank">over a football pitch</a>! (Some councils of course have other ideas....). There are lots of cool pics of trees growing in unusual or bizarre places, <a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/61/91/5d/61915d9d84ce28919a66358601245207.jpg" target="_blank">this has to be a winner</a>!<br />
<br />
<br />Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548241213103324334.post-67822343179167774542017-02-16T20:47:00.000+00:002017-02-16T20:47:47.919+00:00Glasgow Botanics: a few wee discoveries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
A quiet gathering of leaves down a drain in norht Glasgow; small moments hold your gaze when fresh in from travels afar. With a head full of trees and
<a href="http://scottishforestbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/fall-spectacular.html" target="_blank"> the riot of southern Ontario's Fall colours </a>of last October, I flew
back into Glasgow and suitably exhausted I of course.....headed straight
out to the amazing <a href="http://www.glasgowbotanicgardens.com/" target="_blank">Glasgow Botanics</a>! The colours were still rich yellows and reds whereas <a href="http://scottishforestbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/fall-spectacular.html" target="_blank">back in Canada the leaves had burned bright and fallen</a> oh, so quickly. Wandering about the gardens and <a href="http://www.glasgowbotanicgardens.com/projects/national-tree-collections-of-scotland/tree-trail-online/10-dawn-redwood/" target="_blank">arboretum</a>, a favourite hobby of mine (see <a href="http://scottishforestbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/great-trees-in-glasgow-part-i-arboretum.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://scottishforestbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/autumn-gold-at-gu-guanyin-buddhist.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://scottishforestbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/kibble-at-christmas.html" target="_blank">here</a>)
I had fun hunting out small versions of the great trees of eastern
Canada I had been walking among. And it was then I realised that there
were so many hidden treasures here at the arboretum. Like this muckle
leaved syscamore, <i>Acer macrophyllum</i>, and those leaves really are big! There was some I recognized, and others I thought I did, until I read the label, like <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rufinerve" target="_blank">Acer rufinerve </a></b>(Japan) which looked to me like the striped maple <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_pensylvanicum" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Acer pensylvanicum</i></span></span> </a>of
North America. Eventually I had to go indoors and crawl into a bed and
sleep. But I will be back soon, and I wonder what I'll find next time I
really look.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGR7jqbWd2CGN91Y3obns14yCm1eSjoSambzef9lqqPdbKtcUOAU3V6lKcE8CQSb8rE9-J9wcxZDD-0_JL3pebTe4CEDzkNQdVP5mLIeW7VNh8X4sGuwReNnCXnrnRIPFbfwHQZyJCPzs/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+54+06.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGR7jqbWd2CGN91Y3obns14yCm1eSjoSambzef9lqqPdbKtcUOAU3V6lKcE8CQSb8rE9-J9wcxZDD-0_JL3pebTe4CEDzkNQdVP5mLIeW7VNh8X4sGuwReNnCXnrnRIPFbfwHQZyJCPzs/s400/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+54+06.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><b> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXX1C9MbYMp8sdJC_lG1VKb5nw1mlQ8KC-ztC9ccUkKmBYnZmNbPv_Pj_0Kul-dCv_q5y9IK3JTut824uP1dSHYfGFO5Q6sQx5kJEzSD9E1qI1t7hJpzQSWZTUsWSbhc8aRyfuRNoyvI/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+59+38.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXX1C9MbYMp8sdJC_lG1VKb5nw1mlQ8KC-ztC9ccUkKmBYnZmNbPv_Pj_0Kul-dCv_q5y9IK3JTut824uP1dSHYfGFO5Q6sQx5kJEzSD9E1qI1t7hJpzQSWZTUsWSbhc8aRyfuRNoyvI/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+59+38.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qxl0j-pyUlXHyn6kA6j2CXh5xniaxYEbx-7wZj4XluiKj6Ge0RQxhBRKcmvnXSwaHz0BxbxeUKOCauy9N-aHwckmk8zmO5UkG5RoXPHToPbq4_j0kxhOI0aFnrc1e2rVsY2jXzXSj4E/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+01+30.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qxl0j-pyUlXHyn6kA6j2CXh5xniaxYEbx-7wZj4XluiKj6Ge0RQxhBRKcmvnXSwaHz0BxbxeUKOCauy9N-aHwckmk8zmO5UkG5RoXPHToPbq4_j0kxhOI0aFnrc1e2rVsY2jXzXSj4E/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+01+30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR8aWxEG9WXeE2JijzGhhPM1HFtd7vSRpcaZSFmG1JYbDcrD34VHgu_xz6Y37XMrezoSQ9CQTT3GDtiKTj-CtA3TILeHgkI8arYRFIFh2u69Vc7FHoaM7_JknZ-7VKQ7VLQz0FZm6j58/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+02+05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR8aWxEG9WXeE2JijzGhhPM1HFtd7vSRpcaZSFmG1JYbDcrD34VHgu_xz6Y37XMrezoSQ9CQTT3GDtiKTj-CtA3TILeHgkI8arYRFIFh2u69Vc7FHoaM7_JknZ-7VKQ7VLQz0FZm6j58/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+02+05.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2aPtRSfdwhURuPKjOtqEhyoZtyYSvM_th1tFqf2-Omxzoaqx4bedT9qpg1e_JKas_oRD5JEyC5IcpsK_RkKqc5hMRTlqO0L7sAagpzEvkw0Q3tpe7SKLNAi7iRKSmXbdw3gV0QI8Cec/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+45+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2aPtRSfdwhURuPKjOtqEhyoZtyYSvM_th1tFqf2-Omxzoaqx4bedT9qpg1e_JKas_oRD5JEyC5IcpsK_RkKqc5hMRTlqO0L7sAagpzEvkw0Q3tpe7SKLNAi7iRKSmXbdw3gV0QI8Cec/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+45+13.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBj2Qh-h1DHm2P7tntxZd5nrgl-la5-Az4EmAlbF6OQXClQe3PAXpksTeLRuvU965FnosqW64C5Z7F90RSjFX9AQiUsuGrKCJ2KLVb2NMvRKHAnGYCn-Xxw8XCkQMPt_LWFz12O0LfZc/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+29+56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBj2Qh-h1DHm2P7tntxZd5nrgl-la5-Az4EmAlbF6OQXClQe3PAXpksTeLRuvU965FnosqW64C5Z7F90RSjFX9AQiUsuGrKCJ2KLVb2NMvRKHAnGYCn-Xxw8XCkQMPt_LWFz12O0LfZc/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+29+56.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> Yellow Buckeye (Eastern USA)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi273Z2PqeHB11hX0kaDaDdmEw6cUXJPDqG59Jwa5UxEu4EA0p6Fc7LPdCKNho_nE6KKZAUT1CzhIw2jJGFx04cFfTSW3xy9_65KzqxjlRiBTT88NMespcIccd2gEd3DFnJQVNmj66ecVY/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+45+04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi273Z2PqeHB11hX0kaDaDdmEw6cUXJPDqG59Jwa5UxEu4EA0p6Fc7LPdCKNho_nE6KKZAUT1CzhIw2jJGFx04cFfTSW3xy9_65KzqxjlRiBTT88NMespcIccd2gEd3DFnJQVNmj66ecVY/s400/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+45+04.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2io1knLMG3mDQwJXSDBcw8qSZCzFP2BvKPHQSjJ88EzqgHYCn4lr5jk7nqglwz5B-pcKJqeOhaJZySpVaksCt4R4z35BVhDpXQJ5MOoDYjRim70N2fg2e67ENtSpLPyvjH5QiR5JsBM8/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+46+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2io1knLMG3mDQwJXSDBcw8qSZCzFP2BvKPHQSjJ88EzqgHYCn4lr5jk7nqglwz5B-pcKJqeOhaJZySpVaksCt4R4z35BVhDpXQJ5MOoDYjRim70N2fg2e67ENtSpLPyvjH5QiR5JsBM8/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+46+03.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5j0G6e9Z332S1ZRbiesDdmPYlK_iJOm6esUYVennc526-UcPG8hUaM4b5eEifWUN1rnIlTTP8Bsc4vf9xLyjBBsNRgqZ9Kiu6cdKw4x6VFpcg43IUDAM7I-gueW0z_pQ2OWCId9ht6ag/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+44+59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5j0G6e9Z332S1ZRbiesDdmPYlK_iJOm6esUYVennc526-UcPG8hUaM4b5eEifWUN1rnIlTTP8Bsc4vf9xLyjBBsNRgqZ9Kiu6cdKw4x6VFpcg43IUDAM7I-gueW0z_pQ2OWCId9ht6ag/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+44+59.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQb0X-4149WfWr8QyaBNH8V11f1kXAGE16i6O0UrPJ5-o0JQmU4I2duiNJM0tUhMxeB8ZM3A5sujTe3i4UhXkfP1662kCIKMqn8m5Txu7Tac5Bu8m7B0GRu79Jdh5wjzLXrOEjZ0nyBuE/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+50+23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQb0X-4149WfWr8QyaBNH8V11f1kXAGE16i6O0UrPJ5-o0JQmU4I2duiNJM0tUhMxeB8ZM3A5sujTe3i4UhXkfP1662kCIKMqn8m5Txu7Tac5Bu8m7B0GRu79Jdh5wjzLXrOEjZ0nyBuE/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+15+50+23.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rufinerve" target="_blank">Acer rufinerve </a>(Japan) </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bz6-HwTEBHHSSq97yVyYpbdgqGu6Nuvwv-Qygnyk8LXSxCmoSjcj_HZ54xxnF6X2PzARrQWt45kiQFBzqdqbsZC2VpnbB141dgkADeXEYOqn4MsdH-cMhoZdjNmsTQj41oong-ylatg/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+35+43.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bz6-HwTEBHHSSq97yVyYpbdgqGu6Nuvwv-Qygnyk8LXSxCmoSjcj_HZ54xxnF6X2PzARrQWt45kiQFBzqdqbsZC2VpnbB141dgkADeXEYOqn4MsdH-cMhoZdjNmsTQj41oong-ylatg/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+35+43.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSV_wGzdWrTOaX6uutu-AySYBjyk-6dtyNnITzjKt21LBFsVX2BiXLiAoHJfSToXg-j0cdI8QVAWDcLrkPQPzRNpcDBZI4PGEqfHr2OjhcCN-RsKCCuzH9QwdRGJQDIEgiQ7yne2RPGg/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+36+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSV_wGzdWrTOaX6uutu-AySYBjyk-6dtyNnITzjKt21LBFsVX2BiXLiAoHJfSToXg-j0cdI8QVAWDcLrkPQPzRNpcDBZI4PGEqfHr2OjhcCN-RsKCCuzH9QwdRGJQDIEgiQ7yne2RPGg/s200/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+36+05.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst5ZHV0_5IwOBCkLZzsINr62hDMr2RsuPae1_-I3PO2jIcN-7vcEFy78OrGo156RIusyCqYCxo2pVwoX3-J577W7jrQIw6iDZETfEQd0GXtpZl7hTPmL6zVhhrOxvnDd3wN_kiRqt6c4/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+38+42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst5ZHV0_5IwOBCkLZzsINr62hDMr2RsuPae1_-I3PO2jIcN-7vcEFy78OrGo156RIusyCqYCxo2pVwoX3-J577W7jrQIw6iDZETfEQd0GXtpZl7hTPmL6zVhhrOxvnDd3wN_kiRqt6c4/s200/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+38+42.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2tzzHbKUufZtRvoGhggBrUSSq0mt6AdkR01hvIjoNQ5q50t-d2p1Gr3yheQ8zuOvWOLalCa3li4vBPaG2_coRZ4KN7bMH940b8dokuu-W6UdZ3FGyQn49ZOw6OKy8FZlOO9j26DcSnU/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+48+23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2tzzHbKUufZtRvoGhggBrUSSq0mt6AdkR01hvIjoNQ5q50t-d2p1Gr3yheQ8zuOvWOLalCa3li4vBPaG2_coRZ4KN7bMH940b8dokuu-W6UdZ3FGyQn49ZOw6OKy8FZlOO9j26DcSnU/s200/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+48+23.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYaWcoas5QoSDFZ9bckmsaIn3sLJpPbZUhM0XtfRV4B2VphWIRsxx71x_Ds-Au3E7zE7Ww0SlNs2axD6PLzKL15eZ6mKv74ZKR12aPPlHqkHJUukMxEWMCvTEOcV6fhgry7vqG4uXeK8/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+47+00.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYaWcoas5QoSDFZ9bckmsaIn3sLJpPbZUhM0XtfRV4B2VphWIRsxx71x_Ds-Au3E7zE7Ww0SlNs2axD6PLzKL15eZ6mKv74ZKR12aPPlHqkHJUukMxEWMCvTEOcV6fhgry7vqG4uXeK8/s200/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+47+00.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMXupv1quEbetztNAW7cTED2WR-NMyNeQn69jL4tS3hYaqUerQkxCgH1pvz185Vqedgw4Tn_lecqBvJfsoE8cM5GUuPnUHjLI-tCLhot_atMdLgfk5vy9wDL9mJySTZxQypyGOYVXGjo/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+39+00.jpg" width="240" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPhunr3Aeg_RMKOgJ6hyphenhyphenNC5pNI-NmlL6v0vSvfSo9khvUMq46lqwvZekY5rTN2gXh4S6AbKCHjGhgF5VEUpvxL5XYl2YInjSKKewl6NRt_wbgFQIgLm7lcLmZee3yrkavJ6Eg8Fx4RH0/s1600/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+33+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPhunr3Aeg_RMKOgJ6hyphenhyphenNC5pNI-NmlL6v0vSvfSo9khvUMq46lqwvZekY5rTN2gXh4S6AbKCHjGhgF5VEUpvxL5XYl2YInjSKKewl6NRt_wbgFQIgLm7lcLmZee3yrkavJ6Eg8Fx4RH0/s320/Photo+29-10-2016%252C+16+33+14.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
Trees, Rope, Birds and Boxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14454916611787129516noreply@blogger.com0