Month: July 2009

Categories
webcams

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

Freshwater East is so different from Freshwater West. Much more sheltered and much safer for children to swim. Jacqui

Freshwater West, South Wales . My boys enjoyed their swim. Jacqui

We have large Fish in the Lakes at Denbury. Last year a Carp was caught weighing 22lb in the Lake and a larger fish was seen in the Pond. We didn’t put any Fish in the Pond, the fry over the years have got in there through the overflow pipe from the Lake that keeps the Pond full. There are now a lot of large Fish in the Pond. Two days ago one of our fishing Holiday Guest saw a lot of large Fish just under the surface of the water.

Over the past two weeks three of those fishing the Lake have told me that they have had their fishing lines broken by something very big. One of them who had the Kingfisher land on his rod was broken a few times, and he was using a 15lb fishing line, so what ever it is is very large and strong.

Another of our guests caught a very large Fish last week. I was there when he hooked it. The Fish was so strong that he needed to hand his rod to another guest as his arm were aching. He had trouble getting to land it and the Fish managed to get into the reeds. It was decided to use the boat to get the Fish in the landing net. Just as he got to where the Fish was in the reeds it got off of the hook. We think that it was the same Fish, or what ever it is that is breaking the lines. One of this weeks guests without me mentioning it also had his line broken. He is going to fish on an 18lb line.

We need to know what is breaking the fishing lines in case it is a predator. Two predator breeds of Fish that could cause the problem are a pike or a Catfish. Both we would not want in the Lake for they can grow very large and will eat a lot of our Fish. We have never put any Pike or Carp into the Lakes, although it is possible that some person with the same problem did. It could also be a large Eel. Quite a few Eels have been caught in the Lake. Some years ago when I cleared the sediment from a small pond in the Farm Yard we found some very large Eels. I wont be concerned if it is an Eel that is breaking the lines as they do a good cleaning job.

I don’t ever allow the use of keep nets for those fishing at Denbury, but I have put one close to the Lake so that if what ever it is causing the problem is caught we can move it away if it is a predator, Although it may well be a very large Carp.

Categories
webcams

Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

Kingfisher that landed on one of our guests fishing rod at Denbury last week. It happened with another of our guests today.

Cardinal in Edwards Gardens – Rosie’s Mum

Niagara Falls = Rosie’s Mum

Tunnel which goes underground to the edge of the Falls – Rosie’s Mum

Albino Peacock – Rosie’s Mum

Thank you all those checking the adds.

I am not a fisherman, as much because I don’t particularly enjoy it and I don’t like to think of the Fish being caught with a hook in its mouth. That by the way it is the biggest participation sport in this country. It is second to people coming on Holiday at Denbury for the Wildlife, so we are fortunate to be able to offer fishing Holidays at Denbury. Most of all those Fishing here seem to have been wildlife enthusiasts.

We made the Lake and Large Pond over ten years ago to encourage the Wildlife. For that it has been very successful. Stocking the Lakes with Fish was secondary. We only spent a very small amount of money on the stocking the Lakes, mostly very small Fish. There seemed to be very little point in having a Lake with no Fish. Fish were needed for the Kingfisher and Grebes that now visit our waters.

The intention when we put the Lake and Pond in was for them to be filled by the Stream that runs by the side of the Lake, but after they were dug out the holes filled within ten days from underground springs. That is a very large amount of water. The Lake is about an acre and the Pond about half the size. The Lakes being Spring fed rather than by the Stream allows the Fish to grow to their full potential, rather than by the size of the Lake. After ten years the Fish are very large. Last year a Carp of 22lb was fish from the Lake and one of a larger size was seen in the Pond.

I will tell you a little more about the Lakes and fishing and the experiences that a few of those fishing in the past two weeks have had tomorrow.

Categories
webcams

Starting from number six there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number six there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

Here are 5 photo’s i took whislt i was holidaying at Denbury in June. Vicky.

Goslings and Geese on the lake. Vicky.

Ladybird in the Valley. Vicky.

Butterfly in the Valley. Vicky.

Small Magpie moth that came in our cottage. Vicky.

Yellow Brimstone Moth that came in our cottage. Vicky.

I was speaking to Peter at Indian River Bay Delaware last evening about his Osprey webcam. The Ospreys laid there eggs but they did not hatch this year. He is not sure why. I didn’t realise until last evening that along the stretch of the River where Peter lives there are at least fifteen Osprey nests. I am sending out a new PTZ camera this week so that we can see the other wildlife on the River through the Winter.

As a few of you mentioned on the Forum yesterday about the Bird on the post yesterday morning. It was a Buzzard hunting in the Valley. I should think that it was an adult. With the weather as it has been for the past few weeks, we have been unable to cut the grass to make our hay, so it is standing very tall. Every time the Buzzard went down into the grass after its prey it was coming back to the post with clumps of grass.

A Tawney Owl was on the Horse jump at the Badger feeding area last night. It was there for a long time. A rat walked right below the Owl. Although it was watching the rat it didn’t try to catch it.

I managed to find the time to put a webcam on another Swallows nest today. It is a different nest with different adults. The nest had eggs in it whilst the first Swallow were still in their nest. There are two other nests in the building that the nest are in. One with older chicks and the other with eggs. I have taken the the camera from the Dove nest. As soon as there are no Swallows nesting I will show the whole of a Dove nesting from the start when the eggs are first laid.

Categories
webcams

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

Need more photographs and please keep watching the adds.

Black squirrel with strange orange/pinky colouring. A black squirrel is part of the grey squirrel family. – Rosie’s Mum in Toronto
Rosalee resting – Rosie’s Mum

The ravine at the side of our apartment building. You can just see part of the building on the skyline in the middle of the photo. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like we live in a large city but then you go to the front of the building and you realize you are in a large multicultural city. Rosie’s Mum

Flowers in the gardens – Rosie’s Mum

Another chipmunk. – Rosie’s Mum

We never saw them leave but we heard the honking of the Geese fade in the distance as they left the Lake this afternoon. They may return before it gets dark, but it is the first time for a long while that the Geese have honked.

It has been a lot of worry making sure that the Geese were safe from the day the Goslings hatched. But I must admit going to the Lake and the Geese not being there is going to be strange. The electric fence worked and kept the predators away. We were never sure what had taken the Geese in previous year but it was very sad seeing them disappear day by day. Twice when the Ganders were taken it was very sad. It would have been easy for them to fly away when his family were threatened, but they stand there ground when the only outcome was them dying. There was no way that I was going to let it happen this year. Without exception every night around midnight I went to the Lake to check that the electric fencer was working.

I was never sure what had taken the Geese in previous years, but I am sure the splash I heard the other night was an Otter jumping into the Stream when I disturbed it. I know that the Gander that was taken last year was a Fox by from where it had attacked and taken the dead Gander.

I am told that the Geese that hatched on the Lake should return. We will never know but it is a nice thought.

Categories
webcams

Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

Still very short of photographs.

Thanks for continuing to check the adds.

Taken on a walk by the Thames at Iffley, some-one had just feed the Geese. Clive

White Feral pigeon on my Lawn at home, looks like the grass needs cutting. Clive

Climbing Petunia “Tidal Wave” Clive

The reason I did not have a Great Tit in this box this year

I was going to put a few photographs on the Photo Page of the new Chickens that we got last night, but it has been raining all of this afternoon and we are wet through and I really don’t want to be outside getting wet for a photograph. We only got four. That was one Black and one White Silkie Pullet that are fourteen weeks old and one Black and one Gold Silkie Chick. We would have had a few more but that was all that the breeder had left. We did get nineteen hatching eggs that we are going to incubate and we will put them on the Hatching webcam when they are due to hatch. We use to have Chickens and Geese on the Farm some years ago but the Fox got the Chicken and when one of the Geese was taken we gave the others away. We wouldn’t like it to happen with these that we have now as they are a big favorite and very friendly with our Holiday Guest.

There were four Canada Geese on the Lake this morning. They flew on to the Pond quite early and stayed there for most of the day. This evening I noticed them on the webcam on the other side of the electric fence so I tried to encourage them back onto the Lake with bread. I wasted my time. One of the Gosling who had flown off had returned. All of the Geese are now on the Lake. All I hope is that they stay there as they have no protection against predators around the Pond area.

The new webcam that I mentioned yesterday is not any Wildlife, but be assured it will be very popular and a great one for the Autumn and Winter time. I will keep winding you up with progress reports

Categories
webcams

Since we have been buying a few Chickens we have…

Since we have been buying a few Chickens we have relised what horriablke words a akin to keeping them Fowl, Poultry, Pullets, Poults and even Chicken its self

Categories
webcams

Got to go out tonight to look at some Silkies…

Got to go out tonight to look at some Silkies Chickens. So just a quick update. Three of the Goslings seem to have left the Lake. I have looked around for them but as of yet there is no sign of them. It is possible that they may return tonight, but I am not holding my breath.

Our injured Goose is getting better every day. The way she is looking I should think that she will now make a full recovery.

I mentioned a couple of weeks back that we were talking to people about a new webcam. On speaking to the people this afternoon we are going to do it. In fact they are more enthusiastic than I am. I cant tell you about it until we are up and running as there is only one other in the World and I would not like it to be pirated. I can promise that it will be a big favorite and one of the best webcam available to watch. And should be up and running by the end of August.

The underwater camera from the US Virgin Islands is still going to happen, but because of American Security there are procedures that have to be adhered to.

Categories
webcams

Starting from number six there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number six there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

Nearly out of photographs again.

Have you checked the adds recently?

Pictures of South Devon, especially for Elsie
The village of Dittisham, from the River Dart, Brixham. Janice of Leeds.

More pictures of Devon. This is the engine ‘Hercules’ which pulls the coaches on the Paignton to Kingsweir steam railway.

Replica of the Golden Hind, Brixham harbour. from Janice of Leeds.

This sheep is on Dartmoor, despite miles of grass it decided to climb a wall and nibble the tufts growing between the stones! Janice of Leeds.

When I came down this morning at about 7. am On changing the webcams over I could see the Geese on the Lake were practicing their flying.
I always go to the Lake to feed them a little later, after seeing to the Horses and letting the Geese and Chickens out. This morning I was a little later than usual. With feed bag in hand I stopped off to speak to one of our Holiday Guests who was fishing on the Lake. Normally within second of reaching the Lake the Geese are swimming towards me. They weren’t. Dave who was fishing had seen them earlier so I walked around the Lake to find and feed them. They were no where to be seen. From where I was I couldn’t even see them on the Pond at the far end of the Lake. As large as they are and with the practice flying they are doing there was no way that they had flown away. I was concerned that a predator had chased them and that they were scattered around and lost.

I made my way to the Pond. There was still no sign of the Geese until I noticed the some of the reeds moving more than what the wind was moving most of the others. The Geese had taken off from the Lake and reached the Pond swimming in between the reeds. I was pleased to see them and as soon as I called they came for their feed. All I hoped was that they would return to the safety of the Lake before the night. There is no protection around the Pond and would be (excuse the pun) sitting ducks to the predators.

I returned to the Lake at about 3.pm. Dave was still fishing and buzzing as he had just caught a 14 1/2lb Common Carp. There was no way that he would have noticed if the Geese were back on the Lake or not. I didn’t need to ask for they were swimming towards me. I didn’t have any feed for them on this visit to the Lake, but as I was leaving they turned around and started to fly, landing just short of the end of the Lake. For a moment it looked as if they were going to fly back to the Pond. It wont be long until they leave Denbury.

Categories
webcams

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

These photos all taken around the Lea Valley area at Fishers Green, Essex

FLOWERING RUSH. Jill, Epping

WATER LILIES AND REED MACE. Jill, Epping

WATER LILIES. Jill, Epping

SWAN WITH 7 CYGNETS. Jill, Epping

TREE MAN. Jill, Epping

Some of you know my fear of Rats and Mice. Got it from my Mother and I really don’t like them. How I ever finished up farming I will never know. Going up to feed the Badgers has always and will remain a concern in case I come across one when I go to the Sett as I have in the past. Over the years I have got marginally better. At one time I couldn’t even look at a Rat or Mouse. I can look now as long as I can make a hasty exit away from then.

In all of the seventeen years that I have been at Denbury I have only known of two mice to be in the Farm House. Fortunately I didn’t see them. One day last week whilst I was working at the computer a mouse ran into the Kitchen through the open door. I fortunately only saw it through the corner of my eye before it was scooped up by pure luck with a dustpan and brush. If it hadn’t it would have been closer to me than I would have wanted. The Mouse was duly taken far from the house not to be seen again. Or so we thought.

I made sure that the Kitchen door was closed just in case the Mouse decided to return. On going outside half an hour later we were met by one of our Holiday Guests coming to tell us that a Mouse was in her Cottage. I left it to others and made a hasty retreat. They reckon it was the same Mouse who had visited us. It was taken this time a long way from the House and Cottages.

Categories
webcams

Mouse in the House…

Mouse in the House