Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Puffin Guarding its Nest on the Farne Isles

This might be too small to see, but it's a very funny puffin marching around on the lookout for baddies. I would love a puffin in the kitchen to keep me company but I know it would get lonely when I go away.
I will have to make do with the toad that lives in the yard and the snails that I have to leave alone now there's a toad there to eat them.
Did you see that TV item about the fact that snails have a homing instinct? They are trying to persuade people to mark their shells with coloured nail varnish and swap them with their neighbours to see if they can make their way home.
Somehow, I think the frosty fellows in my street might think I was barmy if I turned up on their doorsteps with a handful of varnished snails.
I could be wrong, I suppose.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/so-you-want-to-be-a-scientist/experiments/homing-snails/snail-swap/

3 comments:

frayedattheedge said...

When we watched that bit about the snails, I said jokingly to malcolm that they could mark them with nail polish - next thing, that's just what they were doing! I don't mind snails, it's slugs that I can't abide!!

Jude Montague said...

I might try that snails thing. My neighbours are quite open minded, or so I think. But then I may be just be oblivious! But actually you met them, they are nice aren't they?!

Helen McCookerybook said...

Hi Anne! Can't stand slugs either- I used to have nightmares about them crawling on my hands. Ugh!
I thought your neighbours were lovely Jude- would swap them with mine any day!