During our half-day of sunshine on Saturday, I went out into the garden with my zoom lens to try to catch some of the birds in action. I could see them flitting around from the living room, but as soon as I went outside they all took to the shrubbery. (And then Olga began crashing through the bushes, as she often does, and that sent them even more into hiding.)
I did manage to photograph this little dunnock sitting in our Hebe. In yesterday's post I was comparing camera and phone photos -- well, this is a good example of a picture I could never have taken on my phone. I needed my long lens. (And remember how I said my Canon camera weighs 3.5 lbs with my macro lens? Well, with this zoom, it weighs 5 lbs, 5 oz.! You can see why lugging that thing through the streets of London can get tiring.)
Here's a blue tit sitting in our Philadelphus. That bush really does need to be pruned, but I hate to do it because so many birds live in its thicket of branches. I know the neighbor dislikes it because it blocks light from her garden. As usual, I struggle to find a sensible middle ground, where wildlife doesn't suffer but the garden is also kept under control.
I got my test results back from my gastroenterologist from my followup visit earlier this month. My calprotectin levels are still a bit high (153) -- lower than they had been but still not quite normal. I take it as an overall improvement, though, and since no cause can be found, I'm assuming that whatever's happening is hopefully on the mend. The doctor said he will "review in due course," whatever that means. My possibly unrelated aches and pains seem to have subsided.
On my walk to work yesterday, I passed several heaps of trash and some discarded furniture on the sidewalk, and dutifully reported them to Camden Council via our handy "LoveCleanStreets" app. Two of my reports were allegedly cleaned up within a couple of hours (I haven't walked past yet to be sure but I have no reason to doubt the app) -- and one was already gone by the time the rubbish collectors arrived. Now there's a metal helium tank sitting on the corner that's been there for several days, and the regular garbage collectors won't take it, I assume because any gas in it is under some kind of pressure. I'll report that this morning if it's still there.
That's me -- Steve Reed, Neighborhood Trash Cop!
Dave told me last night that one of his recent staff meetings opened with the question, "What is your obsession?" Each person had to name one and explain why they were obsessed with this subject. I told Dave, "I know what my obsession is -- trash collection!"
I read an article yesterday about Bristol, in western England near Wales, possibly switching to rubbish collection once every FOUR WEEKS! This is my nightmare. They'd continue collecting recycling, including food waste, more frequently. The theory is this will pressure more residents to funnel waste into the recycling stream rather than the garbage -- but as I understand it already a lot of "recycling" doesn't really get recycled. So the whole thing seems like a money-saving shell game, and I tend to agree it will just mean more trash dumped illegally. I hope to God we don't do that here, but I suspect any money-saving decisions made by one municipal council will soon be adopted by others.
The bird photos are great! While we do have a good population of black tits here (in German they are called Kohlmeise, coal tit), I have never spotted a blue tit in this area. Saturday was a busy day for birdlife here, too: 17C and sunshine made for all sorts of avian activities, hopefully not in vain when proper winter weather comes back.
ReplyDeleteTrash is a problem that needs to be tackled from various sides, not just the collection part of it. People generate way too much trash, not just because of exaggerated packaging of everyday items such as food and toiletries, but also because most people buy way too many THINGS and have way too much STUFF, and can't resist having new and "better" things all the time.
Recycling and upcycling are great ways to reduce waste, but as you say, a lot of recyclable stuff isn't really recycled, and it's like the proverbial drop in the ocean.
PS: Garbology? You made that up, or is it a proper term?
In the 1980s I remember the term preferred by garbage workers was garbologists, so perhaps garbology is ok.
DeleteWe have coal tits too (Periparus ater), and also great tits (Parus major). I completely agree about trash -- people do generate WAY too much of it. Shopping should not be treated like recreation, but it is for a lot of people.
DeleteOh, and garbology:
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbology
Oh yes, the first photo is very good.
ReplyDeleteAt my sister's last week, I had to put the recycling and green waste bins out, but not the stinking normal rubbish bin, so it must only collected once a fortnight. I suppose it is only when the lid is opened that the 'fragrant aroma' rises, but it was terrible. I took the cat food pouches to the adjacent park and put them in a public bin there.
See, that's what happens when collections aren't frequent. People take their trash to public areas elsewhere. Here it gets dumped by the bagful on the street next to public bins.
DeleteChanging rubbish collections is ridiculous. The whole (original) purpose of councils is to collect rubbish and maintain roads. That's their job! When they get involved in other things that need more money, they should look at fund raising projects instead of trying to "save" money by not doing their jobs. And when they do raise money for any particular project, that money should be spent on the project it was raised for not simply turned into the coffers so they can claim to be making profits.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Rubbish collection should be a priority.
DeleteYup, I’m the neighbourhood trash cop too. I’m sure you have come across David Sedaris Steve. He lives a couple of villages from me in the South Downs and we have passed each other a few times on our litter collecting quests. Anyway, David is the ultimate litter collecting hero round here so much so that the bin men have named one of their huge refuse collection lorries after him. You are indeed creating habitat for nesting birds in your garden. But what little birds really need is dense scrub. It need only be chest high but the important thing is that it is dense - so dense that a man cannot push his way through it - to keep the birds safe from predators. Birds also need long grass with flowering weeds (wildflowers) adjacent to the scrub on which the invertebrates feed and song perches. You are doing a good job of creating this sort of habitat in your London garden. Sarah in Sussex
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I'm a big Sedaris fan! I especially love the books of his diary entries. Thanks for the tips on bird habitat. I'm doing my best!
DeleteAre you the official Neighborhood Trash Cop? If so, I think the council should give you a uniform - a brown one with black jackboots, a military cap with a peak and an ancient Hindu symbol on your arm.
ReplyDeleteWell, I wouldn't take it THAT far, but now that you mention it I see that the abbreviation for Neighborhood Trash Cop (NTC) does bear a phonetic resemblance to a certain outlawed German party.
DeleteI love dunnocks. They have a very interesting breeding life and I'm always pleased to see them in the garden. They're also called 'shufflewings.'
ReplyDeleteGood citizenry on the garbage front. If your obsession is garbage-collecting, you're in good company with David Sedaris.
I haven't heard "shufflewing" before. They do sort of shuffle their wings, though, now that I think about it! I wish I could write as well as David Sedaris.
DeleteTrash is quickly becoming a big issue from my perspective. We aren't much of consumers nor do we buy a lot of food in cans, bottles or glass than can be recycled. We mostly eat fresh stuff we prepare ourselves. Thus our recycling bin maybe goes out once every 6 or 7 weeks and our trashcan goes out weekly to avoid bad odors but is usually half full or less. Yet when I drive down our street on trash day, I see overflowing recycling and trash cans with extra bags stacked along the sides. We need to pass some laws on packaging restrictions but to date, it is considered stepping on our "freedoms" and what has been passed have been token gestures.
ReplyDeleteWe are continually amazed at how much trash is generated by the Russians upstairs. I have to remind myself that there are four of them, so they'll have more trash than Dave and me.
DeleteGood news on the calprotectin. A single elevated laboratory value without concomitant symptoms is rarely an indication of anything other than an outlier case. And I celebrate your trash monitoring efforts.
ReplyDeleteOur city has started trial areas in the pedestrian shopping areas where all bins are removed. The official idea is to highlight the amount of unnecessary surplus packaging and trash of purchased food and goods (presumably asking customers to take it home or maybe not buy it) but also because people have started to bring bags of household trash to dump since the bins in their neighbourhood are now emptied less regularly. Talk about shooting yourself in the leg. Or something like that.
Well, it wasn't a single elevated value. I've had three tests now over several months, all of them elevated (a high of 330). But the docs can find no reason. I think the unfortunate result of removing bins is going to be more littering and fly-tipping.
DeleteThat's interesting. Every 4 weeks? I'd be a little concerned about attracting rats and the like. 4 weeks is a long time for garbage to be sitting around.
ReplyDeleteYou'd flip out here. We've got a house next door and one down the street. They are rentals. People come, people go and there are often piles of detritus from their apartments just set out along the curb and it sits there for weeks. One neighbor did complain. The owner of the building is law enforcement. He retaliated. She began receiving multiple complaints about her front lawn. She skipped a lawn and had planted wildflowers, because the yard was small and on a very steep incline. The city began insisting she mow it. She finally gave up, had it completely ripped out and covered in white stone.
It's amazing how petty neighborhood feuds can become. Why does the trash sit out for weeks? Won't the city collect it, or is it the kind of trash they won't routinely take?
DeleteTrash is a very modern problem. I think manufacturers aren't helping by over packaging everything, to be travel and theft proof. I wish I had a system of returning their packaging to them. A couple of towns around here removed trash baskets from streets. So the streets were littered. Not thought through.
ReplyDeleteI'm always sad about the amount of recycling I create, just one frugal person, cooking from scratch, who rarely shops other than for food.It seems so hard to avoid.
So many cities are doing away with bins as a cost-saving measure, on the theory that people will then take away their trash. But they don't. They just throw it on the ground. I agree, products ARE overpackaged. Why do limes (for example) need to be in a plastic tray with plastic wrap over top of them?
DeleteViewing birds never gives us the detail like a picture taken with a zoom lens.
ReplyDeleteNice pictures Steve.
Trash is a big problem. US trash used to be shipped out of the country. Today, although much is said to be recycled, the fact is more goes into an incinerator. Many communities also have "swap shops" whereby residents can leave useable items for someone else to take for free. Anything from pots and pans to art, furniture, toys, and garden tools can be found. Surprisingly, a neighbor found an oriental rug and she said it is Persian and the best rug in her home.
I love the swap shop idea! To my knowledge we don't have anything like that here, probably for lack of anyone to manage it. Seems like something volunteers might do.
DeleteYou do a wonderful job of taking care of your garden and welcoming the wildlife you get. Glad you and your doctor are happy with your test results. Stay healthy, Steve!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'd be happier if they were normal, but at least it's an improvement!
DeleteI've always been an ardent recycler even way before it was the thing to do. I was fortunate when I lived in the city that the grocery store I went to had two containers, one for glass and one for aluminum cans and a paper factory nearby that would buy scrap paper. While I never had enough to warrant paying me even though my truck was full they would accept it. This was way before the city introduced curbside recycling. Now I live in a small rural town with limited recycling...cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and paper. So much of the plastic modern living foists on us now gets thrown in the trash which I suppose is where it was going anyway. I do save the steel and other aluminum cans and take them to the metal recycler in town. In fact I need to make a trip to them soon as all my tubs are getting full.
ReplyDeleteWhat really irks me is when people out here in the county throw their trash out on the side of the road (we have to contract individually for trash pick-up and some people don't) and then the county sends out mowers to keep the roadside growth down, they just mow over the trash bags shredding everything and spreading it out.
Yeah, that IS annoying. Why can't the mowers move the bags? There should be a system for them to radio in and have them collected. Unfortunately a lot of "recycling" never actually gets recycled because there's no secondary market for it and it's often contaminated with other refuse.
DeleteStill trying to get waste down to do-able. Composting has helped, not buying plastic also has helped, our sanitary service comes ones every four weeks and even then our bin is not full. We carry cloth bags with us everywhere to avoid getting bags at the shops.
ReplyDeleteA five and a half pound camera is way too heavy, cumbersome to haul around London unless there is a specific photo shoot in mind! But it does take the most wonderful shots- you and it! Great team.
So you already have four-week pickup? Wow, that's a long time. We have two bins and between our two households there's no way we could wait four weeks, especially with the Russians throwing in all their renovation refuse. We'd have to get more bins. Dave and I contribute minimally to the trash.
DeleteI love the bird photos. I agree about the telephoto. If I gave mine up, I'd miss taking photos like this. I so enjoy watching and photographing these little feathered beauties.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a good citizen, always watching out for the beauty of the neighborhood.
I just can't stand to see trash lying around week after week.
DeleteYour bird photos are really good. I was looking at your last post, and the quality of the phone camera is really excellent. My phone camera is not that good, but it's ok for a blog. Biggest issue I have here is the harshness of the sun.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it can be hard in very bright light. Everybody thinks sun is great for pictures, but it depends on what you're photographing!
DeleteWe're the opposite here - trash gets collected every week & recycling every other week. We never have much trash & often don't even put the bin out on the off week. On the other hand our recycling bin is always stuffed (usually with Amazon boxes, hangs head in shame).
ReplyDeleteInteresting that your recycling is LESS frequent. Here, the theory is that if trash is collected less frequently people will be incentivized to recycle more.
DeleteWhat was Dave's obsession? Was it music related? I love birds except when they tweet loudly outside my window in summer--WAY too early!
ReplyDeleteDave says his obsession was "finding appropriate senior living in Florida" for his parents -- which is funny because his sisters have already done that legwork. I think he's mostly just obsessed with worrying about his parents making the transition.
DeleteNothing can mess up a bird photo-shoot more quickly than a dog!
ReplyDeleteHa! Or anything wildlife-related!
DeleteLloyd quit doing the pathetically small amount of recycling it was doing during covid. It has never come back. I have no idea why.
ReplyDeleteYou are a very good bird photographer.
There's probably no market for the recycled materials. Or maybe you're just too rural to make collection worthwhile.
DeleteIt takes patience to get bird photos.
ReplyDeletePatience and a long lens!
DeleteEvery four weeks? That would be -- well, a real mess. So glad that things are moving along well on the medical front. And love the photos. Boy, that zoom is just fabulous. Which reminds me, still looking for a camera. And/or a new phone. Or both!
ReplyDeleteIf I were to do it now I might just buy a phone with a good camera. But you'd have trouble getting close-ups of Harry the heron!
DeleteOdd how it varies from location to location. Here in Tucson, collection of trash & recycle is weekly. No yard waste, although if you have palm fronds or other vegetation if you bundle them they will take them. Reckon every 4 weeks would be a non-starter here in the summer when it's 110F. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteUgh, I can only imagine garbage left in that heat. I'm surprised there's no yard waste collection. It's so easy to get all that brush out of the waste stream which saves landfill space.
DeleteWonderful bird photos, Steve! More please!
ReplyDeleteChris from Boise
Thanks! I'm sure I will have many more as we round the corner into spring. :)
DeleteReducing the number of pick-ups does nothing to reduce waste, I think. What a disaster. Great bird photos. That’s when I have to pull out my “real camera,” too.
ReplyDelete