What's in your garden?

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Originally Posted by Mendip

^ We have a few... one under the eaves, one in the chicken run, one in the gardener's garage and one in the snake house... maybe more. I think they're great and love to hear them calling to each other in the evenings.

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For my wife and for some odd reason my FIL, they absolutely do not want them near the main house. I was told they breed rather fast and can create issues inside the house and up in the attic nesting. For me,like you Mendy , I enjoy their call. The other one it calls too is in the neighbor yard a bit away. That works as it can travel that way. If it makes it way to the main house, I will catch it and relocate it down by the river as I have done probably half a dozen times with others. The little ones like the size in your pic are easy to grab with a good pair of work gloves and even if they bite, its just dull pressure. However the big ones gloves or not F'n hurt like a sumbich. Learned that from experience a few years back. :)

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Originally Posted by Looper

Some moss growing in my underbush

Attachment 101598
I like its intricately whorled tufts

Attachment 101599

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https://i.imgur.com/Jmeacpi.jpg

^I bet that Tasmanian Triangle is packing an intoxicating aroma!


My lucky magpie came back today to inspect my WWII Kriegsmarine Type XXI u-boat

Attachment 104311
It met with approval and so my feathered friend accepted my offering of wholegrain brown rice

Attachment 104312

Attachment 104313

Lovely and ..smart bird

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Originally Posted by helge

Lovely and ..smart bird

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Very smart. In the English winter and early spring the magpies sit on tall trees and the current thinking is that they are mapping the locations of smaller birds' nests for later plunder. I don't know about the Aussie version, the English magpie is a thieving little beast. Looper had best not leave anything small and shiny about the place.

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Originally Posted by Looper

My lucky magpie

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The way I remember it is:

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
And four for a boy.

But maybe you need to be up the duff for that one.

^ You see see one and you have to say hello Mr Magpie, two and its hello Mr & Mrs Magpie.

^^ i remembered it goes up to 10, i had to look it up

One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret, never to be told
Eight for a wish
Nine for a kiss
Ten for a bird you must not miss

There you have it, I was none the wiser.

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Originally Posted by malmomike77

i remembered it goes up to 10

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I never knew it went past seven.

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Originally Posted by malmomike77

One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy

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Normally he shows up with his partner but he was flying solo today so my luck could be on the turn

Attachment 104543
He has got a keenly sharp glint in his eye

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He has got his fingers crossed so somebody's luck might be in

Attachment 104545

M'Sahib took this last night, this is on the shared terrace of one of our guest bedrooms. The patio doors are approximately 1 metre wide, so I'm guessing if fully stretched out, the snake would be approximately 2 metres long. Guessing it's a Green Cat Snake, which grow up to nearly 2 metres long.

https://i.imgur.com/k2WE2WQ.jpg

That's a handsome beast.

I think I need one of these

https://64.media.tumblr.com/493e30f2...f1ae62f66b.jpg

https://64.media.tumblr.com/6b964e03...df7888f343.jpg

One of each. Can't go wrong.

Watching TV this evening, and our dogs (lying at our feet) burst into life about something on our back terrace. Turned the outside lights on, and this beast was there. Apparently, so M'Sahib tells me, it's a Malayan Pit Viper, and highly venomous. These photos taken through the glass of a patio door, so not the sharpest (plus at night of course). First time we've seen one of these around our place.

https://i.imgur.com/qt71YR0.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/unhOXMn.jpg

M'Sahib sent me this graphic, showing the kinds of varieties in Southern Thailand.

https://i.imgur.com/mSCaDw9.jpg

^ Be careful walking around the garden tomorrow PAG, those things are lethal. Thet rely on camoflauge and if you get close may strike at your ankle. Maybe a pair of Wellington boots would be in order?

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Originally Posted by Shutree

I never knew it went past seven.

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You obviously didn't watch Magpie on children's ITV in the 70s with Susan Stranks et al
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp1TG9KaEAg

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Originally Posted by PAG

M'Sahib tells me, it's a Malayan Pit Viper

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Not to argue with M'Sahid but sure looks a python to me. ;)

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Originally Posted by Norton

Not to argue with M'Sahid but sure looks a python to me. ;)

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Me too. A reticulated python.

Feeding a Reticulated Python | Secrets of the Zoo: Down Under - YouTube

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Originally Posted by Norton

Not to argue with M'Sahid but sure looks a python to me. ;)

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Totally agree, checked out some images here, and identical to a baby Reticulated Python. The one on our terrace can't have been much more than one metre long extended. Good news though, at least non-venomous (though as M'Sahib has just said, as a baby, where are the rest of the hatched eggs, and importantly Mama......).

baby reticulated python thailand - Google Search

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Originally Posted by Happy As Larry

You obviously didn't watch Magpie on children's ITV in the 70s with Susan Stranks et al

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I didn't watch it until Susan Stranks was replaced by the luscious Jenny Hanley. :D

Had a little Golden Tree snake visitor come by my shop and watched me for quite sometime while I was sharpening up my mower blades..

https://i.imgur.com/UOCRkw1.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Z4y8gIy.jpg

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Originally Posted by Happy As Larry

You obviously didn't watch Magpie on children's ITV in the 70s

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I did not, about a decade too late for me. I was more Bill & Ben then Magic Roundabout.

Out of curiosity, I looked this up. It seems there were many variations of One for sorrow, some ending at seven. I learnt the rhyme from my mother and she was from south Wales, she stopped at seven. According to Wiki, it is possible that the Magpie tv theme gradually replaced regional variants.
Staying somewhat on topic, there was a pair of those Red-billed blue magpies flying about the neighbour's property recently. Too much in amongst the trees to get a picture.

A couple of days ago I was alerted by the harsh 'sandpaper' call of aggitated miner birds.

I went out and found a young fledgling hopping around the front 'lawn' being molested by by Lola and Maya. Luckily, both dogs responded immediately to my yell and there was no harm done.

https://teakdoor.com/attachment.php?...5&d=1692460194

But what to do?

As I picked up the chick I was mobbed by her two parents... I couldn't leave it in the garden as my dogs would eventually kill it... and if it went outside of the garden the numerous cats would make short work... so I took her up to my bedroom balcony, held her up until I was sure he parents had seen her, and put her down.

A little while later the same happened again... I had two baby miner birds... both must havel left the nest too early for some reason.

https://teakdoor.com/attachment.php?...6&d=1692460209

I put a bowl of water down along with a bowl of the wife's disgusting Isaan bug things from the freezer. The bugs actually disappeared but I reckon it was from the parents. They have continually visited and kept their chicks fed. My only imposition was keeping the curtains drawn to the balcony so as not to disturb the family goings on.

https://teakdoor.com/attachment.php?...7&d=1692460223

I added some peas to the bugs, of course. Everyone needs their fibre.

https://teakdoor.com/attachment.php?...8&d=1692460240

So far, so good. I reckon the chicks need another week before they're strong enough to leave the nest and fly off. The parents watch all the time and feed the two chicks continually.


https://teakdoor.com/attachment.php?...9&d=1692460256