In article , Janet Baraclough.
.. writes
The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
As an example, I saw a spider try to eat a small frog once (yes, in the
UK, in my back garden!),

I know of a cat who took on a money spider and lost ;-)

The money spider ate it?

The cat, well, kitten, actually, came face to face with the money
spider, who refused to give ground. This alarmed the kitten (he was used
to things running away) and he began to edge backwards with his front
paws. Unfortunately he forget to edge backwards with his back paws,
tripped over his own feet and fell over. This so alarmed him that he got
up and ran away, leaving the money spider in possession of the field.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
As an example, I saw a spider try to eat a small frog once (yes, in the
UK, in my back garden!),

I know of a cat who took on a money spider and lost ;-)

The money spider ate it?

Janet.

Janet Baraclough..16/4/04 5:03
k

The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
As an example, I saw a spider try to eat a small frog once (yes, in the
UK, in my back garden!),

I know of a cat who took on a money spider and lost ;-)

The money spider ate it?

Janet.

No, it gambled away its inheritance. ;-))
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article , Janet Baraclough.
.. writes
The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
As an example, I saw a spider try to eat a small frog once (yes, in the
UK, in my back garden!),

I know of a cat who took on a money spider and lost ;-)

The money spider ate it?

The cat, well, kitten, actually, came face to face with the money
spider, who refused to give ground. This alarmed the kitten (he was used
to things running away) and he began to edge backwards with his front
paws. Unfortunately he forget to edge backwards with his back paws,
tripped over his own feet and fell over. This so alarmed him that he got
up and ran away, leaving the money spider in possession of the field.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
As an example, I saw a spider try to eat a small frog once (yes, in the
UK, in my back garden!),

I know of a cat who took on a money spider and lost ;-)

The money spider ate it?

Janet.

Janet Baraclough..16/4/04 5:03
k

The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
As an example, I saw a spider try to eat a small frog once (yes, in the
UK, in my back garden!),

I know of a cat who took on a money spider and lost ;-)

The money spider ate it?

Janet.

No, it gambled away its inheritance. ;-))
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article , Janet Baraclough.
.. writes
The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
As an example, I saw a spider try to eat a small frog once (yes, in the
UK, in my back garden!),

I know of a cat who took on a money spider and lost ;-)

The money spider ate it?

The cat, well, kitten, actually, came face to face with the money
spider, who refused to give ground. This alarmed the kitten (he was used
to things running away) and he began to edge backwards with his front
paws. Unfortunately he forget to edge backwards with his back paws,
tripped over his own feet and fell over. This so alarmed him that he got
up and ran away, leaving the money spider in possession of the field.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

My experience with larger raptors (buzzard and peregrine is that they work a
location for about a week then they move to another part of their territory.
At that stage the surviving prey species have updated their tricks.(Look at
David Attenborough's video of peregrines and wild pigeons)Wild birds are not
easy to catch. I have seen several failed sparrow hawk attacks but not one
successful.
They need to kill bigger birds to survive. Buzzards are not especially good
at catching birds, the rooks in our garden see off a loitering buzzard vey
quickly.

40 fantail pigeons not wild would encourage buzzards to stay, a bit like
meals on wheels.
"Brian" wrote in message
...
With a large, relatively isolated, garden we had years and years of a
glorious dawn chorus and daily hundreds of visitors to various bird
tables.
Then there were raptorial problems when two pairs of Buzzards moved in;
and remained. They breed every year but four remain ~~possibly not the
same
individuals.
Not a single songbird remains. Even minute Wrens were pulled out of
the
Ivy covered banks. They were so brazen that my wife was attacked till she
released a Fantail Dove she was protecting. All forty doves were taken in
four weeks.
I get no pleasure from seeing any bird of prey knowing that their prey
is/was our enjoyment. That they are protected is beyond my understanding.
If
one of us wilfully killed numerous song birds on a daily basis we would
correctly face severe prosecution.
I even offered to pay the fine 'up front' to shoot them but this was
then changed to a threat of prison just because I had advised them in
advance!!.
Now a completely dead sky with not even a venturous flyover by any
other
than the Buzzards..
Naively I had hoped that once all prey was consumed they would move
on
but they remain with our garden as their base.
Best Wishes.
"jane" wrote in message
...
Sorry this is a late reply and may look odd - the original thread's
vanished off my reader but I had to reply...

John ) wrote:

~In a Garden Centre in Ivybridge, Devon, one is greeted with 'piped'
~bird song. Although it's only a recording, it is very effective.
~
~The reason I mention it is that the gardens around my home have
~- during the past half a dozen years - become sterile of birds.
~
~I'll not go into the reason for obvious reasons, but it occurs to me
~that a poor second choice to true bird song, would be the mentioned
~disced copy.
~
~Does anyone know of a disc of British bird song? Not one
~of those with musical background - or dreadful shrieking choir -
~but genuine, honest to goodness birds singing their hearts out.
~
~Who knows, it may attract back the originals?
~
~Thank you

I was also met by a CD of birdsong a week ago at the gardens of
Heligan, and upon asking, found it was recorded in the gardens and
they have burned CDs to sell in their shop. There are some 51 minutes
of song, and though one long track, the insert has a key to main birds
heard in it by time.

It cost me £6 and is wonderfully relaxing and thankyou for alerting me
to these CDs. And they sell it online for £7 inc P&P

http://www.heliganshop.com/ShowDetails.asp?id=255

Hope this helps... (she says, listening to a particularly melodious
blackbird)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!