CathyLesleyMichael

So all those caches we keep finding with a damp log book...

After a long day searching for the elusive tupperware, and with no dogs in sight, a tired geocacher pulls his bike off the road and settles down for a peaceful snooze in the long grass... http://youtu.be/Dsb5HH8m24Y Whoops, too slow!

Rory Cellan-Jones, technology correspondent at the BBC, received a phone call to say he had a Windows problem. Phone call for Mr Sellan

BBC News web site reports a nest of the slightly venomous false widow spider has been found in a Buckinghamshire garden. BBC link

Following a bird poisoning incident in July when two peregrine falcons were found dead near St Just, Cornwall and a previous incident in March when four goshawks and one buzzard were found dead in Devon perhaps it's an opportunity for us cachers to keep our eyes open as we wander the countryside in search of tupperware. We're always trying to be furtive and unseen whilst travelling the lanes and byways so let's use those skills to look out for our wildlife. RSPB link

The domain is registered with 123Reg/Webfusion but the owners are using an identity protection service to protect/hide their details. Can't see a mail address or phone number on the site so they aren't giving much away, apart from the money that is!

Let's hope the caches are better than the web site design. All that flashing text - whoever thought that was a good idea?

It might be a horsefly and not a wasp that finds you attractive. I stood on a wasp nest last week (working, not caching) and seventeen of the little devils lined up seeking revenge. Might be worth investing in a small can of 'Wasp Eze' for caching expeditions. It certainly helps to ease the pain but I found a small can really isn't enough for seventeen stings. Michael

We've had three of these calls so far. I was almost taken in the first time as we were waiting for a call from PCWorld about a faulty computer. It's fun to play along when you realise what the call is about. I told the second caller they had fixed the computer and I needed to speak to his supervisor as I was very grateful and would like to send him a very generous amount of money. I told the third caller we didn't have a computer but we did have a calculator that was showing 2+2=5 and asked him to put me through to his technical department to see if they could help. Once you veer off their set question/answer list they don't seem to be able to handle the problem. The Guardian has an article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/phone-scam-india-call-centres

Hi Nick, Run faster, jump higher!

Short of ideas for that special New Year cache? Smugglers and geocachers - how far apart are we? UK Border Agency

Making use of yesterday's fine weather we checked our caches which may have had dormouse boxes placed near to them. Obviously it's impossible to be 100% certain until the leaves fall but, after a thorough hedgerow search, we only found one cache (GC2C1Z0) which had boxes nearby and we moved it to a new location. Graculus has kindly updated the coordinates and the cache is now approximately 30 yards from the nearest dormouse box. Additionally we have placed a photo and warning text on the appropriate cache pages. We'll try to find/contact the box owners so they are aware of our caches just in case they decide to move/replace any in the future. Thanks to everyone for their input.

Thanks abiherts. This appears to be the edible dormouse (Glis glis) rather than our native common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius). I don't think anyone would put up boxes for the edible variety but I might be wrong.

Thanks to everyone for their comments. We hope to check all the caches this afternoon to see which are in close proximity to dormouse boxes (tubes) and plan a course of action. It seems odd that the boxes are not better camouflaged or hidden. The two we photographed were just attached to branches in full view of the footpath with no information signs or stickers along the route asking walkers not to touch them. I'm sure many people must examine them and their contents out of curiousity. If they'd given the job to geochachers the boxes would have been much better hidden and only the dormice would have found them.

We searched for 'boxes in hedges' - not quite the same, obviously. Many thanks for solving the mystery. We now have a bigger problem - we might need to move some of the caches!

These small boxes recently appeared in a hedge near to our caches in south Bucks and are causing some confusion to searchers who assume they are the cache. Does anyone know what they are used for? At first we thought they might be containers for grey squirrel poison but this is only allowed between 15 March and 15 August. We therefore assume they provide a refuge for certain insects which are then monitored. Has anyone seen them elsewhere?