Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[tikay]

Here's something for those many folk on her that know much more about birds (feathered) than I do.

I went up to Wollaton park to hit some golf balls on the practice ground today and saw something which I have never seen in nearly twenty years in that location. I saw a heron flying across the practice ground persued and then picked on by at first one crow and then two, and then a couple more. They seemed to have forced it to ground and I was about to go over the 200 yards or so to investigate when the crows seemed to have lost interest so I resumed hitting golf balls.

So are herons and crows territorial ? That area does sort of "belong" to the crows as sometimes they get mischievious and start to steal golf balls there, but although there is a lake on the far side of the course I've never ever seen a heron in Wollaton park.

Q: Why did the crows attack a buzzard?



A: This behaviour is known as mobbing. It is a defence response to a perceived threat from a predatory bird.

Crows have few predators in the UK but are aggressive birds that are fiercely territorial. The buzzard is seen as a potential threat to the crow, its young and territory and they can often be seen interacting in this way.

Mobbing usually involves more than one bird in pursuit and the targets are usually birds of prey, buzzards in particular but also owls. Even herons can be on the receiving end of hostile attention.

From a crow info site.

From an old (2005  ) thread:

And the best one, my Dad suggested we go for a walk down the Vennel (a steep gully near us), into Kirkconnel, have a couple of beers then get Mum to come get us. We used to do this walk a lot when I was living at home, it's one of our favorites. We came over the brow of the hill & were walking along the top of the gully when I saw jackdaws, crows, rooks, ravens, a couple of kestrels & a buzzard, all swooping down at something downhill from us that we couldn't see.

I thought we'd find a couped sheep (when they've not been sheared, but it's getting near shearing time they can roll onto their backs trying to scratch & the weight of the fleece can trap them, then the birds attack their eyes & start eating them while they're alive). So we were heading towards whatever they were swooping at when, about 100 feet below us, up flew a golden eagle. My dad says he'd not seen a look like I had on my face since I was a little kid. I'm not religious, in fact I'm anti-religious, but moments like that I certainly do feel a religious awe. We watched it fly off, right across the valley.

My dad told me later that he'd heard there was a juvenille eagle that had wandered over to our area from Galloway. I'd seen one from a distance in the Highlands, but never that close & on 'my own turf'. He hadn't told me because he wanted it to be a surprise. I bought the drinks that day.

Is that really True Rod? Not just an old wives tale? It's giving me bloody nightmares!

[Colchester Kev]

Here's something for those many folk on her that know much more about birds (feathered) than I do.

I went up to Wollaton park to hit some golf balls on the practice ground today and saw something which I have never seen in nearly twenty years in that location. I saw a heron flying across the practice ground persued and then picked on by at first one crow and then two, and then a couple more. They seemed to have forced it to ground and I was about to go over the 200 yards or so to investigate when the crows seemed to have lost interest so I resumed hitting golf balls.

So are herons and crows territorial ? That area does sort of "belong" to the crows as sometimes they get mischievious and start to steal golf balls there, but although there is a lake on the far side of the course I've never ever seen a heron in Wollaton park.

Q: Why did the crows attack a buzzard?



A: This behaviour is known as mobbing. It is a defence response to a perceived threat from a predatory bird.

Crows have few predators in the UK but are aggressive birds that are fiercely territorial. The buzzard is seen as a potential threat to the crow, its young and territory and they can often be seen interacting in this way.

Mobbing usually involves more than one bird in pursuit and the targets are usually birds of prey, buzzards in particular but also owls. Even herons can be on the receiving end of hostile attention.

From a crow info site.

From an old (2005  ) thread:

And the best one, my Dad suggested we go for a walk down the Vennel (a steep gully near us), into Kirkconnel, have a couple of beers then get Mum to come get us. We used to do this walk a lot when I was living at home, it's one of our favorites. We came over the brow of the hill & were walking along the top of the gully when I saw jackdaws, crows, rooks, ravens, a couple of kestrels & a buzzard, all swooping down at something downhill from us that we couldn't see.

I thought we'd find a couped sheep (when they've not been sheared, but it's getting near shearing time they can roll onto their backs trying to scratch & the weight of the fleece can trap them, then the birds attack their eyes & start eating them while they're alive). So we were heading towards whatever they were swooping at when, about 100 feet below us, up flew a golden eagle. My dad says he'd not seen a look like I had on my face since I was a little kid. I'm not religious, in fact I'm anti-religious, but moments like that I certainly do feel a religious awe. We watched it fly off, right across the valley.

My dad told me later that he'd heard there was a juvenille eagle that had wandered over to our area from Galloway. I'd seen one from a distance in the Highlands, but never that close & on 'my own turf'. He hadn't told me because he wanted it to be a surprise. I bought the drinks that day.

Is that really True Rod? Not just an old wives tale? It's giving me bloody nightmares!

You are having nightmares ??

Poor old KP is having counselling !!

[Robert HM]

Yes tikay, it's true.

[tikay]

Yes tikay, it's true.

How do you know that Robert?

[ifm]

Yes tikay, it's true.

How do you know that Robert?

LOL

[tikay]

Yes tikay, it's true.

How do you know that Robert?

LOL

I got whooshed again, did I? Damn.

But I just found this. The Jury remains out, it seems.

http://www.jstor.org/pss/2401823

[Robert HM]

Yes tikay, it's true.

How do you know that Robert?

A friend of mine keeps sheep, mainly as pets! They seem to be able to suffer from all sorts of nasty things, I know they are concerned about heavily fleeced sheep unable to get up and being preyed on by birds. Another problem are flies laying eggs within the fleece and they hatch, the maggots then living off the flesh of the living animal.

[Wardonkey]

I remember coming across a 'couped sheep' (the phrase is new to me) on a family walking trip in the Yorkshire Dales. It's fleece was damp and maggots had made a home on it's back, it had obviously been there a while and must have been terribly distressed. My Dad helped the beast to it's feet, it paused briefly to remind itself how it's legs worked before running off bleating thankfully. I can see how it could easily have been prey to carrion birds, it was completely helpless.

[tikay]

Yes tikay, it's true.

How do you know that Robert?

LOL

Belatedly, I got the joke, sigh.

Robert needs to be careful though, with those dodgy jumpers he wears. Looks very like a sheep in some ways.

[tikay]

I remember coming across a 'couped sheep' (the phrase is new to me) on a family walking trip in the Yorkshire Dales. It's fleece was damp and maggots had made a home on it's back, it had obviously been there a while and must have been terribly distressed. My Dad helped the beast to it's feet, it paused briefly to remind itself how it's legs worked before running off bleating thankfully. I can see how it could easily have been prey to carrion birds, it was completely helpless.

How extraordinary!

Is it because their fleece gets so heavy?

[RED-DOG]

History of Gazebos   (Taken from the web)

Introduction to Gazebos

Although the etymology of the word gazebo is shrouded in mystery, one thing is clear, gazebos have been fixtures in gardens for centuries. Their popularity and presence have become more widespread with every generation, and they have emerged as the most prevalent outdoor garden structures in the world. Originally called summerhouses, screen houses, kiosks, pavilions, pergolas, arbors, grottos, or pagodas, the existence of gazebos has been traced to the earliest gardens (except the Garden of Eden, of course).

Gazebos actually started out as towers or lanterns on the roofs of houses, and were built specifically to afford advantageous views of the surrounding areas. It wasn’t until years later that the structures were built on the ground as summerhouses.
   
 
Gazebos from the Beginning of Time

Gazebos were common in Egyptian gardens 5,000 years ago. As you might imagine, members of royalty were the first to have them. In fact, many thought of their gardens as earthly paradises, and believed they could take them to the afterlife. When one wished to do so, it was customary to have the plans for their dwellings and a complete layout of the garden depicted in a mural in one’s tomb. Such murals, gazebos included, have been found in tombs dating to 1400 b.c.

The structures were also popular in ancient Rome and Pompeii. As the population of Rome increased, the affluent and aristocratic began building summerhouses along the Mediterranean, complete with gazebos.

Also flourishing in the East, gazebos in tenth-century Persian gardens were anything from colorful tents with mats on the floors, to ornate, two-story structures with cupolas, marble columns, and golden seats. Some were even constructed across pools or streams so that the cold water running beneath their marble floors would help to cool them. Others were actually used as tombs for their owners.

China’s gazebos were also quite elaborate, while those in Japan, often called teahouses, were used in conjunction with the revered Tea Ceremonies, and were the places to rest, get in touch with one’s spiritual side, and absorb the beauty of the garden.

During the Renaissance, gazebos became popular in the gardens of monasteries, as shrines and places of meditation.

[RED-DOG]

Middle Age Gazebos

In the 14th century, France had four gazebos built at the Louvre. The French style influenced those in many other countries, including England, where they surged in popularity in the 15th century. In Elizabethan gardens, where they were commonly designed after the main house, they were used for entertaining.

During the late 1700’s, England and other parts of Europe got caught up in a craze for Chinese-style summerhouses, which began popping up in gardens everywhere.

Actually, it was this very fad that eventually led to the word gazebo. Virtually unknown before the mid-eighteenth century, it entered the vocabulary in a 1752 book, entitled, ‘New Designs for Chinese Temples’, by William Halfpenny (nom de plume for Michael Hoare), a prolific architectural writer, and his son, John. Nobody is sure of the origin of the word. Stymied etymologists have speculated that William Halfpenny playfully added the Latin ending –ebo, as in videbo (‘I shall see’) to the word ‘gaze’, to get the humorous meaning ‘I will look,’ as the structure has always been used primarily as a point of observation. Although no one can prove it, believe it or not, that’s the best educated guess!

[RED-DOG]

Early American Gazebos

Whatever the case, in early America, gazebos were not foremost on the colonists’ minds, because, well, you know. Gazebos did not gain popularity here until the mid-1800’s, with the prosperity of the new middle class. Although they fell slightly out of favor again around the turn of the century, as houses were being built with grand porches, they made a return around 1930. Apparently, there was no denying the advantage of having a quiet place to retreat to from the household chaos. Gazebos were also status symbols.

In the 40’s, patios came into fashion and edged out gazebos for awhile, but some time during the 80’s, the gazebo came back with a vengeance.

[RED-DOG]

Gazebos of Today

Today, they’re springing up in homes and gardens all across the country. Adaptable to the whims of the designer, they can be round, square, octagonal, or rectangular, small or large, ornate or plain, elegant or rustic, and anything else that one can dream up.

[RED-DOG]

Look forward to more gazebo related fun in the coming months and years