Starlings and brave Siskins.

Starlings have discovered that their heads (and the-all-important-bill- can fit right through the gaps in the squirrel guard around the peanutcake feeder. There are only two brave enough to come into the garden, but as we all know, Starlings never come alone! The Corvids are very envious of the Starling's smaller size. They would love to get their hands on this delicacy.

The Greenfinches and House Sparrows seem always in the mood for a few sharp words, once another bird joins their feeder.

The Robin was teasing me by hiding among the twigs, but did pose for me eventually.

The birds will attend my tree-planting ceremony. And I hope that they will appreciate the Rowan, Common Alder and Blackthorn. We have chosen Tuesday, the 24th January, for this. It would have been Francis' 63rd birthday.
It is more appropiate to plant the Rowan in his memory on the day Francis was born, rather than on the day he died. This way we can celebrate his life, instead of the day his heart stopped.

The 6 Siskins seem to be fearless, and they will fend off any of the bigger birds, inspiring the many Blue and Coal Tits to do the same.

I had a beautiful mobile of silver seagulls, which I bought in Whitby in 1974. Several cats have jumped up to it over the years, and now I have only a couple of loose seagulls left. I will try and get some thread on them again, and hang these in the Rowan. Francis loved these little silver birds, as much as I did, and he'd be pleased to have them out in his tree for the day.
I will do a blog on the planting on Wildlife on Wheels.
This blog is still in its hibernation like all the species she covers in spring and summer. Its about time she awakens!

A little baby Rat, still pink-nosed & footed, has braved the wet & windy weather to feed on the dropped seeds. Not very happy with him/her, because I doubt it is the only one in the garden!

Farewell to my Greenfinch

This summer we saw a lot of Greenfinches in the garden, including young ones. The fledglings were gorgeous, and a delight to watch as they set their feet onto the peanut feeder for the first time.
Then a week or so ago, I spotted this one which seemed very lethargic when I came around the corner of the house.
The thought of another bout of Trichomoniasis in my birds made me shiver, because in 2007/2008 this horrible disease decimated the flock of House Sparrows.


The sight of this little Greenfinch in the birdbath did not cheer me up either. I had spotted it earlier underneath the feeder, pecking at the bits of nuts in my windowbox, and when it finally flew of, I took the camera to my workroom, from where I have a good view over the bath.





It did not look too puffed up, nor did it seem to have the swollen throat, as you'd see in birds suffering from Tricho. Something was definitely wrong though.
And although it was hardly moving, its insstinct to hide from me behind the little bee-house, made it more difficult for me to catch the poor thing.

Eventually, I was able to pick it up, but the poor bird had already died in my windowbox.







Some liquid in the feathers on the head seem to have dried up, which I think is something like blood, although I have not yet found any puncture wounds, but I will look for it in the morning. It is very mean that I myself had my cat re-adopted shortly after Francis died, because she had started to chase the birds. On my own I was unable to police her properly, so she had to go. in return what did I get in the garden?
A set of older kittens, from 2 houses down. A nextdoor neighbour with a cat, Lucy. She keeps me company from the gardenwall separating our gardens, during the night when I lie awake. wondering if the pain will ever go away, in return for a bit of sleep.

And to top it all off, a recent set of young kittens, eager to learn from the older set!
So I now have 5 cats in the garden!!! After I got rid of my own..

I myself am now thinking of getting an assistance dog, which can do amazing tasks as help for people with disabilities. Very much like a guard dog for the blind.
Hopefully I would then be able to teach it to leave the birds alone and scare the felines from my patch!
I will phone Fachtna, my vet tomorrow about my little Greenfinch. See what he thinks.

Knock, knock...

Who's that knocking on my window?






Great Tit, parus major, A fluffy juvenile trying to unfold itself..

into what looks like a little bird.

Robin, Erithacus rubecula

Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs
male.

Life is still mad down here. I'm not getting the PA for the time being, that much is clear to me. There seems to be a waiting list of 12-13 people, and with no money available, this is going to be a very long wait. Besides, the fact that you then try and do as much as I can myself. my chronic pains is not only doing over-time, but many new pains keep me awake at night too. Life as such is still passing by as if I'm not in it.

February Birds and a Big Blow

Robin, Erithacus rubecula

All these photos were taken during January and February. I've not been able to post over the last weeks due to some personal problems at home. (see further down)
I will soon start updating on what is happening here at the moment.
Blackcap, Sylvia atriciapilla
male

Great Tit, Parus major


Blackcap, Sylvia atriciapilla
2 of the 4 male Blackcaps in my garden.


I am sorry for my long hibernation from blogging. I should be happy that spring is here, but it will be an empty one, this year. And the years to come.
One day in January we celebrated the 62nd birthday of my dear Francis, husband, best friend, and carer, and 4 days later, now 5 weeks ago, I had to say a final goodbye to him in the Merci hospital in Cork.
The GPhad diagnosed a chest infection, but in reality he was suffering from kidney failure, blocked Aorta and further blood cloths at the top of his legs.
The post mortom report, due in about 3 weeks, will reveal the extent of all those, and that will hopefully clear up how he died exactly. andwhat/how long he had been suffering from. For more than 3 years he had more and more trouble and pain with walking and breathing. And how that big blood clot in the Aorta developed. (I was assured that it could not have been due to heavy smoking, by my GP, who kept checking up at me for the first 4 weeks.)

While waiting untill I get a PA (personal assistant) I have now home help for 30-60 minutes a day. Just enough to help me into bed.

Not the right time to put out food for the birds. Like filling up feeders in the areas which I cannot reach with my wheels. I am hoping that Cork county council will pave the area between the path and the wall. In late spring, autumn and summer it will be okay for my home helps to fill up feeders, and put out the food, when there is no risk of injury due to lack of light.
So I need to make history, in my quest to get homehelp to help me put out the bird food in the morning. Until now it is not a recognised "need" with the Southern Health Executive, apparently. (yet)
Blackcap, enjoying a banana 'kebab'

I had put this out for the Blackcaps. A friend had told me once how her =Scottish= Blackcaps enjoyed the bits of banana she'd left out in this garden shrub. The shrub soon became the banana bush, because they seemed to love it! Well mine love it too. And it wasn't long before the other birds took to it also. Especially Chaffinches and the Sparrows.






. once Francis had died, however, she did manage her way outside and laid a dead little Sparrow there where I had found Francis, in the bathroom. From then on, it became soon clear that I was unable to police her at the door, and besides she was demanding too much. So, while I needed to try and sort out myself, my house, and get an idea of what next, Niña went on a well deserved holiday in Dunmanway. Sally, the kennel/cattery owner, knew Niña from previous visits, and had the heatlamp warming up her bed, and the birdfeeder next to the window was refilled again that morning. (Here she could watch. but not touch the birds. Every cat unit has a feeder outside its window!)
Niña's photos were placed on the website of Rural Animal Welfare Resources, after I got in contact with the lovely Muriel, who coordinates cat re-homing in and around Bantry. I had sent her photos on the Tuesday and by Saturday my lovely cat went to her new home here on the Sheep'shead peninsula. There she has an acre around the house, to play and roam to her heart's content.
She has settled in very well, whih is a huge relief. It does mean that the house here is now extra silent, suddenly.
This Chaffinch female is blind in one eye after she had been attacked by a local pet.

Our cat had been kept indoors during these days, however

Happy Christmas & a Very Good 2010

I wish all my readers a very good 2010, and that it will be one, in which wildlife and the environment will be considered seriously by our governments. (for once!)

Both of my Blogs, Birding on Wheels and Wildlife on Wheels were featured in the Autumn issue of Spokeout, the magazine of the Irish Wheelchair Association. . Some very nice reactions came in, but not much on accessible areas I am looking for. Next year I will again send emails to the Branches of Birdwatch Ireland for help in locating these.
It is not that I want to push myself to the forefront; far from it. however I do want to show that people with limited mobility can go out there to watch the Birds, take in the beautiful colours of our native Wild Flowers, or hold your breath on spotting a marine mammal. in the water.

Locally, in and around Bantry town, there are a few more places my wheels might be able to get to, but I will leave these till I have had a chance to go there in 2010.

And apart from these plans for Birding on Wheels, the Birds in the garden as well as those which captured elsewhere, will still feature on the blog as usual.

I myself have been out of sorts for some time; probably a sort of belated effect on Elly's passing at Easter this year. I'm starting to crawl out of it again and trying to get grip of my life again.
Wildlife on Wheels has been quiet this year.

Kreativ Blogger Award

Early last month, I was nominated by Rena Jones for the Kreativ Blogger Award. Other things kept pushing themselves inbetween, before I got a chance to do my honours.

Apparently there are rules though. Which we have to adhere to.

1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link the person who nominated you.

4. List 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ bloggers.

6. Post links to those bloggers.

7. Leave a comment for each one to let them know they're nominated.


Done 1,2 and 3.
7 Things about myself:
Listing 7 things about myself. a lit more difficult. And although I, like Rena, cannot do eyedrops into my eye. (well, would like to see you manage that with just one hand!) I take the lazy option. When I was told that the sudden and abrupt watering of my eye, which always happens on the road, could be prevented by daily eye-drops, I told him I was not going to use anything I would need help with. More surprises though, he told me that I had this infection since I was a very small child. I've been wearing glasses since I was 10 or 11, and no eye doctor ever told me this, so how come he can spot this, 40+ years later? I only needed new specs, nothing else. And I never mentioned it until he said I had an infection.

1. I am fascinated with ice and snow. Live in the wrong country for this.
2. The medical college at University of Utrecht, Holland, made a film about me when I was 12/13 years of age. About how people with disabilities live at home. Filming me at home; walking to the busstop at 7am, at school, etc.
3. Never had any problems with spinach or Brussel's Sprouts.
   
4. I have got pins & needles in my foot for 9 years, already, never stops. No-one knows why or where it comes from. Very annoying, and very hard to take your mind of it.
5. I got my first job in a ward kitchen in the rehabilitation near my home.
6. I hate being indoors.
7. I also hate shopping.
   

At last: Nominating the winners:

1. Liz
2. Katie
   
3. Peggy
4. Midmarsh John
   
5. Wytchwood Ramblings
   
6. West Country Birding & Wildlife Diary.
   
7. Debbie

South West: Rosscarbery

I've been wanting to check out the birding access in Rosscarbery for quite some time. The lagoon next and behind the Celtic Ross hotel, and the estuary in front of the hotel.

Roscarbery is no stranger to nature lovers; if you read the local mouthwatering species list on the town's website you know why I too would love to get there.
I have been here very often. Mostly in the evening for Irish Wheelchair Association committee meetings of the regional branch. A pity that I did not have a camera on me in those days, because there's lots to see.

Glandore:
We went to Glandore first. A lovely little village. It sits nestled in the hill above a lovely natural harbour.
I've been here several times before. It is one of those places where you take visitors. Many UK celebs have the same idea, I think, because lots of these have a 2nd house here, either in Glandore or nearby Union Hall.


Glandore, County Cork, Eire. Looking out towards the Atlantic Ocean.


Glandore harbour. A dinghy race was to begin shortly after our departure, and I love the piling of these dinghies at the pier.

Glandore, West Cork. Ireland.


While going down the steep little road, there is a door inviting you in, and where you do not need to take your shoes off.

Always Open House, in this residence:




It was mostly (and only) Herring Gulls which flew about the village and harbour, hoping for a few scraps from the many visitors and tourists taking advantage of the tourists. So, while watching some kids in one of the dinghies, getting ready to take part in the race, I suddenly spotted a lone Herring Gull a bit further away on the quays, where it was strutting about. Because of the obstacles between us, it was a challenging me to get close. This meant that I had to cross part of these quays which had quite an awkward dip, and somehow I had to scale my wheels over this without slipping, sliding or bumping into the many little boats, resting here.
I ended up above the h. Gull; I decided that I would first get some pictures from here, before risking my life and wheels by dipping down further to get closer and perhaps ending up scaring my new-found friend.
I was pleased with this resulting shot.

Herring Gull, Larus argentatus


Rosscarbery.
The main road, the N71, between Cork--Clonakilty and Skibbereen, follows the coastline of the Rosscarbery estuary, when you reach Rosscarbery. The town itself is built on a hill, overlooking the the estuary.
The Rosscarbery tidal estuary, known for its many birds, is split in two by a causeway. This has created a lovely lagoon. The N71 runs over this causeway.
There are two roads running along the lagoon.. the first (coming from Leap/Skibbereen, is
immediately after the Celtic Ross hotel. This is the road into the the town of Rosscarbery. The second road, to Reenascreena, follows this beautiful lagoon all the way. And its sheltered location means that there's lots of avian life here.
On the south side, there are also two roads. One immediately across the Celtic Ross hotel, which follows the west side of the lagoon.
Along the estuary too, two roads follow the coastline here. Sian and I went down the first one, directly across from the hotel. I only had an hour here, which was way too short, to do some serious birding. So I have to return soon. Most of the waders were in the middle of the estuary, which was quite a bit from the road, and below you can see a picture of the waders I took with my Lumix, using only Extrazoom, of 28x zoom, at 2.5mp.

Curlew, Numenius arquata plus Great Black Backed Gulls, Larus marinus
and Herring Gull, Larus argentatus


In Rosscarbery, we had lunch in the Celtic Ross hotel. It is a lovely hotel with good food, and a beautiful setting. and a too small wheelie toilet. One of those where you cannot close the door, and yet there is space enough in a next-door lobby. I do not understand it whenever I come into an old(er) building, where they really have to juggle the available space, to fit this extra (and larger) toilet in, but where it concerns a newly built building on a large patch of ground, and where they have really compromised on these facilities, where space does not seem to be an issue. I really can get very angry. You might think I'm overdoing things here, but you see, I come upon it everywhere!
And here they do create a one or perhaps two, 'accessible rooms' but downstairs we, wheeling visitors, are forgotten to take part in hotel life in a dignified way. Sometimes I'd love to invite those at the top to go and use this toilet with my wheels. Just as much as I'd like to get those of the Cork county council to go for a little ride over the roads here.

Opposite the hotel, across the causeway, part of the large flock of Mute Swans, Cygnus olor ,was gathering along the road. Waiting for a bit of bread from walkers and visitors to the hotel. It was here, and to the left, to the lagoon, where I wanted to go and see what other birds were about.
Mute Swan, Cygnet olor,



It was difficult to get close to the wall, due to the state of the sides of the road, where there were so many gaps, holes and pieces missing, that I decided I would spare Sian the agony of having to pull me out, and stayed a bit back. at the other side of this little road, I spotted something else I was interested in: the tiny flowers of Ivy-leaved Toadflax.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax,Cymbalaria muralis


I spotted something white, other than Mute swans, further along the road, so this is where we headed. I only had an hour, and we had spent part of this already by talking, and deciding which way to go. Anyway we came upon a Little egret with a Blackheaded Gull.
Little Egret, Egretta garzetta


Blackheaded Gull, Larus ridibundus



Next we spotted two of what looked like a Curlew, with a large flock of other, much darker, larger, waders behind it on the sandbank. These looked very much like Curlew, their beaks seemed smaller than the one in front. And yet on my photos do the flock like Curlew. Strange. Double reason why I should go back.

So, who's who?




OK, so I promised to check out the access to go birding here. Because I was relying on my Wednesday group at Bantry Rehabcare to get here at all, I only had an hour, while the others drove around the lagoon and along the other road along the lagoon. As such you can see enough over the wall from the road, depending on birds (or other marine animals; seals do visit here too, ) Annd I hope that I can return soon to check out the Reenascreena road along the lagoon.