Sparrow hawk

[raysparx]

I feel so lucky,I have been sitting in the garden earlier watching a sparrow hawk,swooping down what a sight,have you any birds of prey near you? we have the above plus barn owls,buzzards and all sorts of other wildlife including Badgers.

[whiffey]

Ray, I haven't been in Croydon

[whiffey]

Whoops, flaming tab key !

Ray I haven't been in Croydon long enough to remember the aerodrome ! But too long for my liking. It's hotels and stuff now, but there is a very large open space where the runway used to be, and people gather there to fly model planes.

I am very near to Croydon Cemetery, Mitcham Common, and the golf course. I spend hours in the cemetery and on the common.

There are also plenty of water birds on the 'lakes' at the Beddington sewage farm, and a path is now open from the golf course all the way down by the railway line to Beddington Park. It's a fairly peaceful place to get away from it all.

[Snappy]

We have a sparow hawk which comes in the summer and tries to get the birds in our garden. The first time i saw it,it swooped right next to me,and missed the little sparrow. We looked each other in the eye for a second before it flew off!Amazing!

[gessoo]

Whiffey. Sorry I managed to miss your post earlier. It was a long time ago that I lived in Wimbledon, so any restaurants I did know will be long gone!! The Ahmed, you say - bet it's expensive!!! Wimbledon is definitely millionnaire belt now!

Ray, this has been such an enjoyable thread. AB has some lovely contributors. It's so nice to 'chat' to people who are like minded.

Have a good bank holiday weekend everybody.

[raysparx]

Hi snappy what a thing to see,once in a lifetime that, glad you have some quiet areas whiffey we need them to keep our sanity, thanks again all of you as gessoo says really nice chatting to you,hope we can speak again,have a good weekend everyone, Ray

[whiffey]

gessoo, The Ahmed is an Indian restaurant, and not too expensive. I don't know when you were last there, but now it is a haunt of vandals at night. Not up on the hill, but around the station.

Your posts have reminded me to cycle over to Wimbledon Common and Cannizaro Park, I'll go on Monday.

[whiffey]

Ha ha, sorry ! That reads as though The Ahmed is a haunt of vandals at night ! Sorry guys, it most certainly isn't.

[gessoo]

Wish I could join you Whiffey. On the cycle ride that is - not at Ahmed's!!!! I left Wimbledon about 45 years ago!!!! and have been via Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire to Norfolk. My family used to be keen cyclists. Often cycled to Richmond Park as well as Chessington Zoo.

[whiffey]

My favourite ride is over to Kingston, down to Hampton Court on the Thames Park, then 2 laps of Bushey Park before returning to sleep like a log.

Norfolk ! Lucky devil. I once picked a village at random from the cover of a road atlas - Tuttington, near Aylsham - and drove up there to look at house prices and such. What a dream of an area !

[whiffey]

Sorry, Thames Path.

[gessoo]

Aylsham is about 18 miles from me. Further east. It is a lovely little town. Lots of nice countryside here. House prices have risen though - people are discovering North Norfolk!!! We moved here simply because we loved the county, found a cottage and totally renovated it ourselves - we were younger then and took more chances!!

[Stinkerbell]

Im from Bucks and just this morning was watching a sparrowhawk after it had caught its prey, it was then swooped on by a Red kite. Other than that we just get hedgehogs and the odd kestrel.

[gessoo]

I saw a woodpecker take a baby bluetit in our garden. I knew woodpeckers would take babies from nests but I have never seen them take one from the ground before.

[sixpence]

I've just had a great time reading your "conversation". Thanks to you all. Nice bit of travelling and nature for me on a wet afternoon.

[raysparx]

Hi stinkerbell, that must have been a sight,nature is cruel, you are lucky to see all those birds in your area though aren't you. as long as I see these birds I think the surrounding area can't be doing too badly,can it

Thanks for reply. Ray

[raysparx]

Hi gessoo & sixpence, I like the woodpecker,but they are a bit vicious,that wasn't nice to see was it, speaking of them we one that come to the top of a telegraph pole outside our cottage and it bangs away at the post,but it is always banging at the aluminium plate that covers the top of the pole, I imagine it must be a bit stupid,the thing I am looking forward to is strolling down to the river Conwy to watch the kingfishers,now they really are a beautiful sight,I don't know much about nature only that I like being surrounded by it, glad you enjoyed this edition of the archers sixpence,join us next week for another exciting episode!!!!

[sixpence]

Now, there's a sight...kingfishers. I had never seen one until I reached my 50s, when we had a boat on the Kennet and Avon Canal and I shall never forget the first sighting. Magic. I have friends who have never been lucky.
When you are interested in Nature there is always something new to see, isn't there?

[sixpence]

Sorry , forgot to do the Archers Theme Music....dumpty, dumpty dumpty dum!!

[raysparx]

Hi sixpence,you are so right I am a londoner,so didn't grow up in the country,now in late 50s and learning all the time and nature is the one thing we can all learn from,I feel privileged to live where I do, take care, Ray

Good name sixpence,takes me back!!!

[sixpence]

Takes me back, too. My pocket money was always called "Saturday Sixpence" when I was young.