My log book

[LadyG]

Ok,  well having a salty water background I first set off with a school exercise book and put in lots of detail.

Now I have a plastic book, lined, good quality paper with parts for adding receipts, photos etc.

I have it open as a double page.

With heading of the Navigation or Navigations

 Column 1 date.

Column 2 From and To

Col 3 is on opposite page, fuel in tank.

Col 4 is engine hours of tachometer.

Col 5 is for comments. I underline fuel added, where added, price: I have a little diagram for a launderette. I note fuel delivery, details, price, and vendor. Note of good food pubs, and any bad experiences. Any comments which identify rough moorings, or good moorings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rob-M]

I guess you've not put much in the From and To columns 🤣

[___]

Missing the essential columns to record the number of herons and kingfishers spotted.

 

Low heron count for me so far this year but doing pretty well for kingfishers.

[LadyG]

17 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I guess you've not put much in the From and To columns 🤣

Well, obviously nothing when iced in, or immobile due to lack of rudder. Sometimes I arrive to discover a stoppage notified just as I arrive,  a breach which demands no navigation at all, and of course I am ever careful of wasting that precious commodity,  water. I had a look back, and I do potter in summer, mooring under trees when a heatwave descends, other than that I am saving the planet by not using too much diesel.

PS I did four locks yesterday, might be a record!

12 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

Missing the essential columns to record the number of herons and kingfishers spotted.

 

Low heron count for me so far this year but doing pretty well for kingfishers.

I bought a really good pair of bins to watch birds, but there has been little of interest.

I did open my window one day to find two otter pups staring back at me, other than that it's been pretty quiet.

I am hanging large bird feeders along the canalside as I navigate, but I urge land lubbers to use a bird table at this time of year, not only seeds, but also mealworms, these are for blackbirds , suet with insects are good, tits will feed once they know where to come.

Edited April 5, 2023 by LadyG

[___]

25 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I guess you've not put much in the From and To columns 🤣

 

That's harsh Rob.

 

To be fair West Yorkshire is a big county and I think @LadyG has been within a few miles of both North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.

 

[Hudds Lad]

20 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

Missing the essential columns to record the number of herons and kingfishers spotted.

 

Low heron count for me so far this year but doing pretty well for kingfishers.

Our Bullfinch count is up to three!

[LadyG]

3 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

That's harsh Rob.

 

To be fair West Yorkshire is a big county and I think @LadyG has been within a few miles of both North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.

 

No worries, I enjoy pottering, I'm not ever going to clock up the mileage, been there ,done that with my BMC Minis, all that is behind me. Chilling out is the way forward

[___]

53 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Well, obviously nothing when iced in, or immobile due to lack of rudder. Sometimes I arrive to discover a stoppage notified just as I arrive,  a breach which demands no navigation at all, and of course I am ever careful of wasting that precious commodity,  water. I had a look back, and I do potter in summer, mooring under trees when a heatwave descends, other than that I am saving the planet by not using too much diesel.

PS I did four locks yesterday, might be a record!

I bought a really good pair of bins to watch birds, but there has been little of interest.

I did open my window one day to find two otter pups staring back at me, other than that it's been pretty quiet.

I am hanging large bird feeders along the canalside as I navigate, but I urge land lubbers to use a bird table at this time of year, not only seeds, but also mealworms, these are for blackbirds , suet with insects are good, tits will feed once they know where to come.

 

I know we pull your leg about cruising but in all seriousness by far and away the best way to see wildlife on the canals is from the helm. Even better if you cruise either side of sunrise and sunset.

 

I've met boaters who tell me they've never seen a kingfisher and the only way that is possible is because they rarely if ever helm their own boat.

  

You will see kingfishers and herons pretty regularly on the canal, and seabirds on big rivers. Eventually you'll encounter a muntjac, even a big deer or stag, and a badger or fox. Wabbits are ten a penny. 

 

You did well with otters as I've only ever seen one. I can only count two voles, and there's a 50/50 chance one of those was a rat (so literally similar yet so metaphorically different) , a mink or two (not sure they count being invasive), a stoat and a couple of swimming grass snakes.

 

A few weeks back I walked up the top end of the Tardebigge flight in darkness after a rainy day and the towpath was littered with frogs. I was amazed I noticed them before I trod on one.

 

 

Edited April 5, 2023 by Captain Pegg

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

That's harsh Rob.

 

To be fair West Yorkshire is a big county and I think @LadyG has been within a few miles of both North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.

 

Just a bit of light hearted humour.

[___]

Just now, Rob-M said:

Just a bit of light hearted humour.

 

So was my response. Maybe I should break out the emojis. 😉

[Hudds Lad]

Buzzards and Red Kites are so prolific down south we've given up counting them, a Muntjac i have seen in the brambles on the offside but only because i was looking straight at it as the boat moved by, it was dead still and so well camouflaged. Saw the world's fattest squirrel in one of the cuttings on the Shroppie, forget which but it's the one with a couple of boats moored in there with an old Landy and i think an old Roller under cover amongst the sheds. The squizz was sat on the boats tug deck with its own supply of bird seed, no way it was climbing any trees

 

My favourite spot is a toss up between the terrapin the size of a dinner plate sunning itself on the way to Coventry basin, or the first Bullfinch i ever saw just outside Banbury. Possibly the Bullfinch just pips it. Having looked for birds since being a little kid it only took 49yrs to spot one outside of a bird book.

[Rob-M]

We sat in Tixall Wide last year watching a couple of Kingfishers feeding, they were diving for fish and then sitting in a tree to kill and eat it.  Holding the fish the Kingfisher gave it a few good whacks on a branch and then swallowed it.

[Jon57]

31 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

We sat in Tixall Wide last year watching a couple of Kingfishers feeding, they were diving for fish and then sitting in a tree to kill and eat it.  Holding the fish the Kingfisher gave it a few good whacks on a branch and then swallowed it.

Saw a fat bird eating chips on Blackpool front once 🐦🍟😁

[Jerra]

2 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Missing the essential columns to record the number of herons and kingfishers spotted.

 

Low heron count for me so far this year but doing pretty well for kingfishers.

Interesting.  The other week on the T&M we never saw a single Heron.

[___]

2 minutes ago, Jerra said:

Interesting.  The other week on the T&M we never saw a single Heron.

 

Were they all in pairs? 😉

[Jerra]

1 minute ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

Were they all in pairs? 😉

LOL.   No they were all invisible.

[IanD]

10 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

Saw a fat bird eating chips on Blackpool front once 🐦🍟😁

Yeah, we have pigeons like that in our back garden... 😉

[Hudds Lad]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

Yeah, we have pigeons like that in our back garden... 😉

Have you considered not putting chips out for them?  

[Wanderer Vagabond]

46 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Buzzards and Red Kites are so prolific down south we've given up counting them, a Muntjac i have seen in the brambles on the offside but only because i was looking straight at it as the boat moved by, it was dead still and so well camouflaged. Saw the world's fattest squirrel in one of the cuttings on the Shroppie, forget which but it's the one with a couple of boats moored in there with an old Landy and i think an old Roller under cover amongst the sheds. The squizz was sat on the boats tug deck with its own supply of bird seed, no way it was climbing any trees

 

My favourite spot is a toss up between the terrapin the size of a dinner plate sunning itself on the way to Coventry basin, or the first Bullfinch i ever saw just outside Banbury. Possibly the Bullfinch just pips it. Having looked for birds since being a little kid it only took 49yrs to spot one outside of a bird book.

I think my favourite 'spot' was just after we had crossed the Barton Swing bridge I looked up and saw a woodpecker banging away at a tree. Never having seen one in the flesh before I was transfixed but what was annoying was that having just crossed the swing bridge I had a camera in my hand, did I think to use it? Only after it had flown off did I think,"Oh, I should have photographed that".

[Jon57]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

Yeah, we have pigeons like that in our back garden... 😉

What you feed them chips! 😏

[IanD]

11 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

What you feed them chips! 😏

No, but they're fat birds and they'll eat anything they can get their beaks on... 😉

 

P.S. Saw a woodpecker in the garden yesterday, the squirrels scared it off... 😞

Edited April 5, 2023 by IanD

[___]

21 minutes ago, Jerra said:

LOL.   No they were all invisible.

 

I'll keep a lookout for one of those.

 

Seemingly a solarity animal the heron. Uncommon to see two together anyway. Also difficult to tell male from female in passing. Same with the kingfisher.

[Naughty Cal]

1 hour ago, Hudds Lad said:

Buzzards and Red Kites are so prolific down south we've given up counting them, a Muntjac i have seen in the brambles on the offside but only because i was looking straight at it as the boat moved by, it was dead still and so well camouflaged. Saw the world's fattest squirrel in one of the cuttings on the Shroppie, forget which but it's the one with a couple of boats moored in there with an old Landy and i think an old Roller under cover amongst the sheds. The squizz was sat on the boats tug deck with its own supply of bird seed, no way it was climbing any trees

 

My favourite spot is a toss up between the terrapin the size of a dinner plate sunning itself on the way to Coventry basin, or the first Bullfinch i ever saw just outside Banbury. Possibly the Bullfinch just pips it. Having looked for birds since being a little kid it only took 49yrs to spot one outside of a bird book.

Our favourite spot from the boat was a Crane on the Norfolk Broads (not the mechanical variety) on the salt marshes between Stracey and Great Yarmouth.

 

Magnificent bird.

 

We have been absolutely spoiled with wildlife we have spotted from the van. Golden Eagles and White tail Eagles on the Isle of Skye, huge red deer grazing next to the van at Applecross, Minke whales at Gairloch, dolphins across the country, seals basking next to the van at Staffin. The list is endless and will no doubt grow longer.

[PaulJ]

10 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

I'll keep a lookout for one of those.

 

Seemingly a solarity animal the heron. Uncommon to see two together anyway. Also difficult to tell male from female in passing. Same with the kingfisher.

Funnily enough one thing I have noticed more regulary in the last year is Herons and Egrets fishing close together which always suprises me.

Think the bird that actually suprised me the most looking back at me from the Riverbank was a pair of Rheas/Emus coming down the Ouse a few weeks ago 😀

[Naughty Cal]

3 hours ago, LadyG said:

Ok,  well having a salty water background I first set off with a school exercise book and put in lots of detail.

Now I have a plastic book, lined, good quality paper with parts for adding receipts, photos etc.

I have it open as a double page.

With heading of the Navigation or Navigations

 Column 1 date.

Column 2 From and To

Col 3 is on opposite page, fuel in tank.

Col 4 is engine hours of tachometer.

Col 5 is for comments. I underline fuel added, where added, price: I have a little diagram for a launderette. I note fuel delivery, details, price, and vendor. Note of good food pubs, and any bad experiences. Any comments which identify rough moorings, or good moorings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like you we kept logs for the boat. Usually an annual diary each year. 

 

We would log routes, hours run, fuel purchased, receipts, points of interest, good pubs and takeaways etc. We have stacks of them at home and when we dig them out they do make for interesting reading and bring back some fantastic memories.

 

We have continued the same theme with the van.