Birds, Bees and Colony Collapse
Countryside Sports enthusiast Jim Shannon is worried about a decrease in the number of songbirds and other wildlife. His concern - that this might be due to an increase in the number of foxes. Readers might remember that Jim is keen on the revival of the old "fox bounty" which used to be paid to hunters who shot the animals. In a written reply published earlier this month, the Environment Minister Arlene Foster acknowledges that the number of foxes appears to be on the rise, but argues there is no scientific information to suggest they are killing songbirds in significant numbers.
Elsewhere the SDLP's Alasdair McDonnell wants the Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew to start counting the number of bees here. He's concerned that the local bee population could be suffering from something called "Colony Collapse Disorder".
The Fermanagh MP says her officials keep an eye on "managed" bees, but don't count the number of indigenous bees. "There is no evidence" she concludes "that Colony Collapse Disorder is present in the North of Ireland". Which, one presumes, must be a matter of regret to republicans given all their efforts to promote colony collapse over the decades.
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There's plenty of evidence foxes kill game birds. These are the type of birds that Jim thinks he alone should be killing. Foxes don't need food, but he needs to smell the cordite in august!
What a pity you where not around the Big House on Tuesday and Wednesday Mark.
Just when the Folks on the Hill thought it was safe to return to the building after summer recess all hell broke loose when the shout went out to all within the building that there was a possible MOLE therein!!
After a frantic search by the security staff it became clear that all sides could breath easy again as the culprit turned out to be a young Ferret which had wondered up to the West door of the building and tried to gain entry without first producing a pass. Security staff trapped the said rodent and swiftly made a makeshift home for same.
After feeding and watering the animal and looking after it for 24 hours a new owner and home was found for the little mite who looked rather sad to be leaving his new found friends up on the hill.
And who says that theres no compassion for the little creatures of this country?
And for those of you who think the beeb is anti-nationalist, their NI political editor has just called Northern Ireland a colony!
Re Iris and the F-word:
Repulsive as some of the goings-on and bad language are on many of our 'soaps', far more pernicious is the poison that emanates from the website calling itself the 'Protestant Gazette'
Will Ulster ever be at peace while such material continues to feed the 'mind' of the religious bigot?
Being a "Fox" I take some umbrage at blaming my cousins (Foxes) for the misdeeds of others.
I $pend and "espend" most of my time in an up$cale $easide village here on the "$un Coast" of the "$un-$hine $tate (a.k.a.: Flori-duh). There are a number of fruit trees on my Flori-duh property. Some years ago... I realized that I could increase the fruit yield on my trees if I installed a honey beehive behind the workshop. And so I got one... and I learned the art of beekeeping.
After 50-60 stings (and a lot of cursing) I learned quite a lot about honey bees. I learned how to talk to them... and seduce them. Since the Queen and all fifty thousand honey bee workers in my hive are female, the art of seduction is rather important. Let me also state for the record here that the hive is a sentient intelligence unto itself; the bees are actually cells to something that's far more grand and complex. The hive has bad days and good days. Like any woman... it can be moody or happy. The hive can also recognize me from other people. The bees know that I'm their "daddy." This explains why I can now sit a couple of feet from the hive's entrance, using the top box (the "super") as a table for my coffee and pastries, and read the morning paper there. Nobody dares to bother me there... and the bees are comfortable. I'm their "daddy."
Okay! Here's why bees are dying. I got this information from the horse's mouth... which/witch is not to be confused with the horse's assss! There are too many people on this planet satellite; the entire biosphere of the planet is under extreme stress... though BP and Exxon and the Bush Administration constant-lie deny it. The truth, however, will manifest itself.
The bees, perhaps more than other actors on Mother Nature's stage, are perfect barometers for demonstrating this global biospheric stress. Humans (homo sapiens)have manufactured and dumped huge amounts of pesticides and fungicides and herbicides and insecticides into the environment. We have fished out the oceans and polluted the biosphere with toxic gases... because we are arrogant, because we lack common sense.
The bees, on the other hand, limit their hive size according to conditions and the availability of resource (nector). Humans do not! They continue to grow and grow and grow... and they call it progress. Butt Old Coyote Knose that it is NOT progress! It is cancer! Full blown cancer. Or worse... it is a sad and terrifying story of foolish parasites (humans) destroying the host (Planet Birth).
Hey! I am Guy Fox, the cousin of the other "Guy." And I'm sure that you Brits know who I mean!