armybloke

Be aware that there is a scam going on regarding the 20p 'no date' (or mule as they are professionally known) coin. Claimants selling a 20p coin with no date on one side would be telling the truth as 20p coins do not come with a date on the side they show on-line! So check out the scams here before you commit to either buying or selling....Undated 20p Coin | Avoid the undated 20p SCAM! for collectors the mint produced a 2p mule in 1983 also worth a few sparkly pennies in return

Just a heads-up as I hate to mislead anyone without the facts; PIGEON SHOOTING AND THE LAW Currently the shooting of woodpigeon is controlled by general licences issued by Natural England for England, Welsh Assembly Government for Wales, Scottish Government for Scotland and in Northern Ireland by the NI Environment Agency (NIEA). No individual application is required for any licence; however in Scotland you are legally obliged to have read and understood the licence relevant to your shooting. The general licences authorise shooting for specific purposes such as: preventing serious damage to crops, vegetables, fruit and foodstuffs for livestock, and for the purpose of preserving public health or public safety. It is important that any shooting complies fully with the terms and conditions of each general licence. In Britain the shooting of collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and the feral pigeon (descended from Columba livia) is also permitted all year round. The stock dove (Columba oenas), rock dove (Columba livia) and turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) are all protected species and may not be shot at any time. In Northern Ireland all doves are protected at all times and woodpigeon and feral pigeon are listed on the general licences but these cannot be shot at night or on Sundays. On the Isle of Man the woodpigeon can be shot under the terms and conditions of their general licence for the prevention of damage and disease only, the feral pigeon for public health and public safety and the turtle dove is fully protected. The stock dove is often mistakenly called the ‘blue rock’ and great care must be taken as these birds often fly with woodpigeons and feral pigeons and come readily to decoys. The feral pigeon is descended from the rock dove (which is usually only found on western coasts), and is often seen close to urban areas and feeding in flocks close to farm buildings. Note: wild-living, former racing and homing pigeons often fly with feral pigeons but these birds are strictly protected as they are still regarded as the property of their original owner. While they normally have leg rings to show their ownership, identification in the field can be difficult so, if in doubt, do not shoot.

Found this beauty alongside the Thames at Richmond. 'Aren't trees just amazing' - a quote from my 5 year old daughter....and I tend to agree! And the other is growing in the back of a Chieftain Tank Recovery vehicle empty engine compartment!

That is very useful to know as I am dealing with a large Ash in my woodland management of a NR down where there is a 'sensitive government neighbour' eager to remove large limbs that could give potential unauthorised access. Thank you all for the knowledge.

Out of curiosity would she have pollarded ok? It looks quite an old tree and I was of the understanding that it subject it to too much shock to respond back to health. Anyone like to add anything?

Very interesting it made me look again at all the photos - I like a happy ending:001_rolleyes:

Went to Hillier's Gardens at the weekend - stunning!

I love these sorts of threads because I too was wondering why it had to come down...so keep it going lads...10 paces and all that

Just in case you are in any doubt whether to remove potential nest sites check out these recent sightings.... Nest Box Challenge goes live

Good point - this is a very discriminating poll. Where are the girlie sizes Herr Bullman? You don't want to be labelled sexist now do you....

I've been told that I have too many t-shirts so can I have socks size 9 - I need some new socks actually so they'd come in handy

Nice job. I bet your kids school would relish a few things like that hanging around their playground....

Any leaf litter from last year hanging around? Old photos for evidence?

Good link. I went to the library first to check out the book and have just ordered my copy

All BIRDS are protected by law regardless of public perception - shooting a pigeon is not strictly legal

Here, here Paul. The planners need to take another look at the route for avoidance . We do need an upgrade in our transport system (without comparing ours to the high quality of our european neighbours) by petition rather than digging in and disputing the actual need. Signing the petition to prevent the sale of our woodlands to the private sector worked!

Our blood group is written on the back of our helmet (the one you wear on your head ) on our ID card and on our 'dog-tags' so in the event of an emergency we get blood sooner rather than later. It saves a heap of time in hospital if your blood group is known rather than sending a sample off for 'cross-matching' ......yeah seen that on Casualty and Holby on tv - my wife watches it and I happened to glance over just at that time ...........

Have you a picture of the stem? Where abouts are you in the country as Cherry are in flower about now?

Funny ol' thing. I saw a Blackbird feeding its chicks on a trip to London last Feb outside the Tate & Lyle building being airwashed from the aircon outlet (warm air) so I contacted the BTO (Carl Barrimore) to find out what is going on. His answer was that more and more birds like Pigeons, Blackbirds and Thrush are losing their natural breeding season due to microclimates being generated by the city life. A bird perched on a lamp-post with a permanent light on has a ready made incubator for example. So we will definitely start to see more birds taking advantage of our 'urban waste' in this way. Clever huh?

You should sell your idea! Nice one...

That's a really generous gesture - you see people like you are hard to come by and for the 'thanks';it has been a pleasure

Yep what he said - get the feds to deal or it could get messy!

I have to say that works. My wife runs her own gardening business and one of her older customers needed help with a tree problem. I charged a capuccino and a piece of home-made cake to solve it. The wife is now her permanent gardener for the fact she knew we were not there to screw her for her buried fortune but to provide a friendly service. Swings and roundabouts really - if the job warrants it you charge for it and accordingly to the going rates which this forum helps us all with