Wildlife, living next to nature

[orthodoc]

So the buzzsaw experience should be on my bucket list?

I can't help it if cats just love me. Or maybe it's the fact that the kittens I bred were handled from birth and intensively socialized, and turned out to be adorable, people-loving balls of fluff.

Cats do have a different psychology than dogs. You can't attempt to dominate a cat and have anything good happen. Unlike dogs, cats will ramp up the aggression if you become aggressive. Their brains are just wired differently.

Cats are more like toddlers. Redirect, time out, remove from the scene ... they respond to cause and effect as long as it's not direct aggression that throws them into fight mode.

[xoxoxoBruce]

That's how kittens play, suddenly they're all teeth and claws. That's what they do with each other, and you if your handy when they get the urge. I've also had them climb me when I was leaning against the kitchen counter talking with someone. Those sharp little claws go deep, and anything you do to mitigate the carnage only makes things worse.

[fargon]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Those sharp little claws go deep, and anything you do to mitigate the carnage only makes things worse.

That is when you stop playing with them.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Like a buzz saw, you can't stop fast enough, and you stopping doesn't necessarily mean them stopping. They'll stop when they get bored, but in the meantime they can do considerable damage. Older cats are a little faster stopping, but cat or kitten, if they've decided to climb you they won't stop half way without serious opposition. Of course once the claws are dug in, I don't want them to stop and think about it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Drop Bears! Drop Bears everywhere!

[orthodoc]

You've been hanging out with the wrong cats, man ...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Normal cats, not raised like a bunch of pussies Canadian cats.

[Carruthers]

Not quite in the same league as big cats and wolves, but we do have a breeding pair of Peregrine Falcons in the locality. Their favoured nesting location is a cliff face.
We have something of a shortage of cliffs in Buckinghamshire but we do have an acceptable man made substitute.
For several years a nesting platform has been provided on the County Council HQ buillding in Aylesbury. It is an architectural abomination but the Peregrines seem quite happy there.

You can see the webcam here: Aylesbury Peregrines

Aylesbury's Peregrine Falcons Lay First Egg Of The Year

Should you wish, the architechural abomination can be viewed here: Street View.

[orthodoc]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Normal cats, not raised like a bunch of pussies Canadian cats.

Ha! Apparently you've never met any Canadian cats. We raise 'em wild and smart, feisty and opinionated. Canadian pussies are very difficult to tame, although utterly worth the effort.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Canadian cats? No. Canadian pussies? Plenty. Half my father's family live in the Kingston Ontario area.
However, your description of kitten behavior doesn't jibe with dozens I've raised or met, south of the 49th parallel.

[Sundae]

No! Is old enough now to be a folly (Pooley's).
I love it.
You have to learn from your mistakes, and to learn from them they have to be visible.

From miles and miles and many miles around.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Sundae

No! Is old enough now to be a folly (Pooley's).
I love it.
You have to learn from your mistakes, and to learn from them they have to be visible.

From miles and miles and many miles around.

Some years ago it was rumoured to be sinking.

I'm still waiting...

[xoxoxoBruce]

That's big plus for Aylesbury. Most large cities here have peregrines nesting on tall buildings. Like Aylesbury, pigeons supply unlimited food.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

That's big plus for Aylesbury. Most large cities here have peregrines nesting on tall buildings. Like Aylesbury, pigeons supply unlimited food.

I understand that a pigeon met its doom at the talons of a Peregrine on the ground in the town centre last year but most are taken in flight.

I've never knowingly seen the Aylesbury Peregrines although I've had the occasional sighting here five miles south of the town of what I assume to be other than the birds in question.
You know when something fast and deadly is about as even the corpulent Wood Pigeons are startled enough to get themselves airborne pronto.

Of possible interest is the work of the wildlife hospital at Haddenham.
It's known by the rather twee name of 'Tiggywinkles' but is formally known as the Wildlife Hospital Trust. A TV series was made about the hospital a few years ago and I think that it was also shown on PBS.

Anyway, here's the video. It won't win an Oscar but it is a gentle amble describing their work and worth a few minutes of your time.... I hope!



The Red Kites shown at about the 3.00 mark are wonderful creatures. Only a few native birds remained in the UK in mid-Wales until about twenty years ago when a reintroduction program was started.
Chicks were brought in from Scandinavia and Spain over a number of years in an attempt to increase numbers. When the birds were released into the wild those from Scandinavia tended to go home but those from Spain had a touch of mañana and mostly stayed put. Their numbers have gone from strength to strength and we even had one land in the front garden the summer before last.

Unfortunately, I once found a Red Kite that had collided with a power cable and severed its wing. The staff at Tiggywinkles expected it to survive as the wing was lost at the very point where amputations are normally made and it hadn't lost much blood. They have a large aviary for Kites that cannot be released and it was expected to have a future there. Sadly, it succumbed about ten days after I took it in.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Carruthers

You know when something fast and deadly is about as even the corpulent Wood Pigeons are startled enough to get themselves airborne pronto.

Ha ha, I think if I knew this sumbitch was coming at me at... ahem, 389 km/h (242 mph on this side of the pond), I might be able to fly.