Martino

1713139389983.mp4 It’s only a camera trap, so I feel it’s a bit of a cheat, as a photographer. However, it’s interesting. Their coats are a bit ratty, as it’s the time when they shed their winter coast and grow their summer wear. Most of the older females are pregnant and will shortly push out (temporarily) their yearling daughters which they will welcome back after giving birth. Their yearling sons however (these are the ‘button’ bucks) will be banished for good, becoming bucks and preparing for the rut later in the year - around November/December. The interaction between the males, females and different family groups is fascinating and all happening outside our back garden. We’re very lucky.

This was our back garden in North Georgia (USA) today, just after the eclipse. A ruby throated hummingbird (they arrived this weekend), a pine Siskin and an American Goldfinch.

Butterflies have suddenly emerged this week in our neck of the woods. I scrambled down one of our deer trails to investigate a wild Mountain Azalea that was flowering. I’m amazed I managed to get down the trail, let alone back up afterwards! Anyway, I was rewarded by a Tiger Swallowtail doing its pollinator thing on the Azalea.

1712268516787.mp4 Mother white tailed deer getting impatient with a crow!

Worthy of a certain ex-President of the USA.

I have no problem with people being vegetarian, or vegan. That’s their choice. Just don’t impose it on me and please don’t try to convert me. I do have a problem with cannibalism as I think I may be quite tasty. I don’t have a problem with anyone’s private beliefs as long as they don’t impose it on me or try and convert me.

Yes, they are a bit nervous, the bucks especially. We’re on the side of a wooded mountain and they come up to feed but they are very aware of our presence. We had a group of 10 come up last evening, but they were very alert.

..or one person from Hull.

Further interaction. 1710399267263.mp4

Captured on one of static outdoor cameras. A Raccoon interacting with a White Tailed Deer. They don’t really like each other. Often the deer will back off first, but this time the raccoon thought hesitancy was best. Later the deer came back and shooed the garbage panda off by waving his hoof at it. 1710398916962.mp4

I recall (dimly) a product in the late ‘60s called Metalskin, which came in gloss or matt. I made a reasonable Airfix Hawker Hart and applied it to that, which for the time looked quite good. I then tried it on a Lightning but it took so long I gave up.

They’re all trainsets or layouts until one goes out in the garden (or other outside area) and prepares a trackbed, following the landscape. Then go through the constant maintenance of a 1:1 line. Any structures have to be capable of withstanding the elements - like a 1:1 line. Then, my son, you have created a railway………

Well, yes probably. But one wonders how the poster spelled Veterinarians to get autocorrect to come up with ventriloquists. …..and don’t folks proofread anything?

Not a sign as such, but a genuine post on one of our local Facebook pages today. The Admin said he had to approve it just to see what happens. I’m assuming that autocorrect has had a meltdown, but the mind boggles.

1706668603565.mp4 Two gentlemen of the mountains. They’ll be loosing their antlers soon.

There was a rectangular tank (which I think went to the GWS at Didcot) used by the Slough Trading Estate Railway. I believe it was originally a tar wagon, but Slough Estates used it for weed killing. https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/article.php/104/no-1-tar-wagon The GWS says they think it was black in its SE time. It was, I remember it well.

Thank you. Merry Christmas.

I was taking photos of a group of 4 deer about 40 ft away when I became aware that another doe had wandered up. She was below my line of sight and about 15 ft in front of me. Appeared to be saying what about me?

As someone born and brought up in England, spent many years travelling, spending time in Oz and finally moving to the US in 2006, I notice many, many instances of folks in the US adopting ‘Britishisms’ because they think it makes them sound more intelligent. Similarly many in the UK adopt what they think are ‘Americanisms’ because they think it’s cool. The US folks believe that US English is being tainted by creeping Anglisization and the Brits accuse creeping Americanism of altering British English. Both parties blame the other side of doing it deliberately. It appears to me that each nation is willingly adopting the other’s habits. I’ve seen much the same thing with Australia and New Zealand. At the end of the day it’s all a case of a number of countries being separated by a common (ish) language ;-)

It’s been a while since I visited Twyford (Berkshire) as I moved to the US back in 2006, but I remember that taking a Paddington to Henley train would result in Twyford passengers pilling off the train and then down the platform end to a board crossing from the platform end to the car park (old goods yard) and then waiting at track level while the DMU past en route to Henley. Of course the big surprise came when you got to your car and found your radio was still in the car as they often had been removed by some local scrote!

We had a toaster in the Boy Prefects Day Room at school in the late ‘60s. Some genius modified it to squeeze the toast out slowly, rather than eject it at high speed. This eventually caused the device to fail completely. Thereafter we used to threaten first and second form boys who’d displeased us that we’d put their fingers in the toaster as a punishment. They of course had no idea it wasn’t plugged in and was totally inoperative. What delightful little creatures we were. I wonder how that would be looked on in this day and age?

Shopping trip yesterday. Who knew my car was so fast? No wonder it isn’t very economical.

Careful, they’re related….

The return of Herne the Hunter last night. White tailed deer buck. Jasper, Georgia. USA

Careful, he could be related to Herne………https://www.historicmysteries.com/herne-the-hunter/