Birds

Have any of ye seen a Curlew lately?

I hear my mother on about them a fair bit.

They’re good as gone.

There’s maps on the Irish birdwatching site. Still some in the wet lands.

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There’s a few curlew fuckers around here alright. :grinning::grinning:

It was a great saying when I was young.

Just searched there now and there is a conservation program in place for them.

https://www.npws.ie/farmers-and-landowners/schemes/curlew-conservation-programme

A great time of year for them.

Had collared doves, rooks, a robin, blue tits, sparrows, thrushes and a blackbird in the garden this morning.

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They are going to reintroduce Ospreys to Wexford & Waterford

Here’s a question. No crows that I can see of in the south of Spain. I am guessing climate might play a part in it but you’d see them further north and certainly in France.
Magpies alright and apparently robins though I have yet to see one.

Would there be a lack of food down around there?

Rooks in Spain largely confined to Ebro Valley and the meseta crop-growing area in the North where it is damp enough for them to probe the earth for leatherjackets etc. Their scientific name of Corvus frugilegus - ‘Crow of the fruits of the earth’ reflects this. Too arid in the south of Spain for this behaviour. Carrion Crow occurs in South but in far fewer numbers than in N Europe where climate is damper. Most common corvid in South of Spain is Raven whereas it is the least common one in the rest of Europe.

Everything fits best in to its own niche.

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That is what I was thinking, You have plenty of swallows, starlings, magpies etc and the likes. I am guessing climate, type of flora and fauna.

That explains that for me! Nice one!

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The evolution of this thread is fascinating.

How’s the driving going for you @Bandage

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I drove to Wexford on my own with my two boys on Saturday, 18 March, & stopped at Coynes Cross services & Gorey services because the older lad was crying intermittently & saying he was going to get sick. We got some fresh air at each stop, avoided any accidents & had just passed Oylegate/Oilgate/Oylgate, the last village before Wexford town, when he violently puked all over the back seat. Other than that, it’s been going okay & it’s nearly 5 years since I passed my test. :anguished:

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I used to get really bad car sickness as a child. Eventually I had to travel in front of car. That solved it.

Years later I learned it’s caused by your ears feeling movement but your eyes don’t match it or vice versa.

If you can see where you are going and look that way it solves it. So heads in a screen or book will make you feel sick.

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Sitting in the middle seat was always the cure. But obviously the higher risk position if an unexpected vomit came on.

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A few thoughts:

In recent posts I held other people to high standards, and this must apply to myself also.

I wanted to address TFK posts (like on this thread) I made more than a decade ago when I was nearly 30. These were wrong, I am ashamed & embarrassed by them & I want to apologise for using offensive language.

If I could have a chat with my 27-year old self about the damage that language can do, I most certainly would!

My love of TFK stems from a desire to hear from inspirational people. With an administrator platform comes considerable responsibility & I will ensure I, like the forum users, am accountable for those standards going forward.

It is crucial that posters ask the tough questions, but they must also take responsibility for their actions, & the actions of their younger selves.

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it’s been a hell of a journey from the casual misogynist who was, in hindsight probably a significant danger to women, to the casual jogger and family man you are today.

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You have to admire a man who can evolve and grow. Maybe others could take some inspiration from this.