No Friday at the Flicks

There seems to have been nothing new to video this past week. Partly due to some cool, damp days and partly having to reduce the amount of seed I put out while finch disease is in evidence.

The only bit of video is over on MidmarshPi as I spent today tinkering with some aircraft plotting software.

Watching the Weather

For some months I have been using an Oregon WMR180 weather centre but found it far from satisfactory. Wind speed measurements seem very low. Even in a good gusty wind it only just gets into double figures for mph. The rainfall gauge works when it feels like it. Worst of all to keep continuous records the computer has to be running 24hrs a day. My last station had a built in data logger which stored overnight readings. As seems usual with cheap systems the wind direction and speed detectors gave up the ghost and I had to repair the rain gauge.

I didn't particularly want to spend several hundreds of pounds for a more reliable system as I only keep a cursory watch on the weather. Having had a think and look round I decided to try a rather different type of weather station.



I bought the netatmo set up. The basic parts consist of two metal cylinders. The indoor one measures indoor temperature and humidity along with barometric pressure and, unusually, CO2 and sound volume levels. The idea being to indicate a relative comfort level indoors. The smaller outside unit just measures outdoor temperature and humidity.



Added to those there is now a rain gauge which I also purchased.  The indoor unit receives wireless signals from those parts outdoors and connects to my WiFi as it sends readings to netatmo's servers. The data can be recovered and displayed on several devices. There are free apps for iOS and android phones and tablets. Also there is a web connection which can be used on PC or Mac.

The web display:



This can be scrolled to show all the various readings as graphs.

As displayed on an iPad:


The top part of the display can be changed to show the rain gauge readings:


Also graphs can be displayed - this from the iPod Touch:


I read that the company is developing a module for measuring wind so I will have to wait before I can add that.

There are other facilities with the basic units like sending warnings of, for example, low temperature to phones or tablets. Also, using the free app from ITTT (if this then that), something like a high temperature notification can be sent to a WeMo wireless electrical socket to switch on aircon for example.

Tuesday Twister - Guess What

A good week last week with everyone gaining a virtual gold star for recognising the twisted strawberry. Congratulations to Adrian, TexWisGirl, Wilma, Glo and Ragged Robin.









   


On to this week's twisted photo.
Guess What:


Please leave any guesses in the comments.
They will be revealed, along with the answer, next Tuesday.
No prizes, just for fun and maybe a virtual gold or silver star.


Wet, Wet, Wet

Yesterday was a good day for putting my feet up and letting the world drift by. Although the total rainfall here was a lot less than some areas of the UK there was hardly an hour during the day when it was totally dry:



This screen shot is from my latest weather equipment. More about that another day.

The Only One

I used to see quite a few Comma butterflies but this year I have only spotted this one when it stopped for a while in the garden a few days ago:



I am sure the reduction in numbers is connected with the cutting down of nettles around the edge of the cricket field for the past few years. These are the usual feeding plant for the larva. I fail to see why the nettles are cut down after the cricket season has finished when they could be left through the Winter.

Once again the damp, cooler weather has seen a local outbreak of the dreaded finch disease. So far I have seen two Greenfinches and a Goldfinch succumb to it. That means I have had to reduce the number of feeders and the amount of food I put out. That is a pity as there had been upwards of a dozen Goldfinches visiting each day but now there is just the odd one.

Friday at the Flicks - Wren + Sparrow Bathing

Every now and then a Wren spends a few nights roosting in the roosting pocket:



When I was filming the Starlings bathing a few days ago I also managed a short video of a House Sparrow sprucing itself up:



Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

Some Like Rainy Days

As we arrived back from a mid-day walk I spotted a dark shape at the side of the front garden path. A Common Toad, not often seen in daylight as they are normally active at night. Not only was it out in daylight but stayed where it was even when I got the Nikon really close:





I think that is only the second time I have seen a toad around the garden. Not only that but a short while later when I walked along the same path the toad had moved on but nearby was a Common Frog:





Once again this amphibian remained in place while I got some close shots.

Tuesday Twister - Guess What

I guess it may have been difficult to see exactly what the twisted creature was last week. The virtual gold star goes to Adrian and Ragged Robin for working out that it was a newt. (A common newt)









Getting close were TexWisGirl and Wilma with suggestions of skink and salamander and are awarded the virtual silver star.









   

On to the new twisted photo. The Living Planet app I normally use has been updated and stopped working on my iPad2 so I used an app called Circular instead. This turns a photo into a kaleidoscope type effect with a choice of how many repetitions to make.

Guess What:


Please leave any guesses in the comments.
They, along with the answer, will be revealed next Tuesday.
No prizes, just for fun and maybe a virtual gold or silver star.