Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: Maggi Young on June 14, 2014, 11:14:40 PM
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Some wildlife in the garden is bigger than others - pic from ( https://twitter.com/SutekiDesign4u )
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This indignant little face was looking at me when I put the kettle on this morning so I had to rush out in my nightie and refill the nut feeder ;D
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Just tried to find the "like" button. ;D
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Just tried to find the "like" button. ;D
I look for it everywhere!
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two two-day old swift chicks being fed
http://youtu.be/HBI-NcAFbqs (http://youtu.be/HBI-NcAFbqs)
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That's lovely to see, thanks Mark. Screaming swifts are a sound of my childhood - they used to nest in the eaves above my bedroom window. Living here, we don't get swifts (the occasional stray one that's lost, maybe) so I do miss them in the summer months.
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Many years ago, my sister got a phone call one Saturday, which I overheard. Her friend's dog had found a baby "swallow". We were visiting the next day, so I offered to check it out. Turned out to be a fully feather, but very young swift. I took it home and tried it on moths. It seemed to like these, and four of five big moths from the moth trap, and plenty of water, per day seemed to keep it going. A week later we headed off to Norfolk for a caravan holiday, so no moth trap. Still, the toilet block provided enough for the first few days, then the bird started exercising its wings. Just a rapid shoulder "shrug", but very frequent. I couldn't keep up with the moths, so had to find a substitute. That came in the shape of Clement Freud's "Minced Morsals". The very active baby took to them, but the water intake increased. We kept the bird in a plastic ice cream tub with no cover, and it was quite content not to move. When we got home after our holiday, I could reinstate the moth diet. The four or five per day went up to 40 or more as it was very active, vigorously shrugging those wings. Then, one day, when my Dad was speaking to the milk man (remember them) at the back door, the swift landed at his feet, having flapped its way from round the corner in the kitchen. He put it back in its tub. The next day, when my Dad was again out at the back, the swift came out through the door again, but this time shot through his legs and over the 5' back gate and away! It must have been with us for about 5 weeks.
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Glad to hear that you managed to successfully fledge you swiftling. It was fortunate that you had the moth trap to keep it well fed!
The fate of your swift was much happier than that of the white-throated needletail that turned up on Harris last summer: http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/bird_sightings_june2013_outer_hebrides_wildlife.htm (http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/bird_sightings_june2013_outer_hebrides_wildlife.htm)
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waxworms seems to be the preferred diet for hand rearing swifts but theyre expensive
Matt it was terrible news last year about the needletail. Why not put up some boxes and blast out the lure. You never know what happens.
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waxworms seems to be the preferred diet for hand rearing swifts but theyre expensive
Matt it was terrible news last year about the needletail. Why not put up some boxes and blast out the lure. You never know what happens.
Wonderful piece of footage Mark, thanks for posting!
I've always thought of swifts preferring to nest in the eaves of higher buildings. Do they ever use single story buildings and is there a way to attract them?
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Steve I'm just about to go to work but in brief my boxes on the gable are 3m up and the under eave boxes are under 2m. I know of nests that I can put my finger just inside the entrance. More later but for now non breeders have returned
11am today
http://youtu.be/e4eB77-s960 (http://youtu.be/e4eB77-s960)
http://youtu.be/PaLfIyhve1Q (http://youtu.be/PaLfIyhve1Q)
http://youtu.be/iX_FwH9j5Cw (http://youtu.be/iX_FwH9j5Cw)
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I've always thought of swifts preferring to nest in the eaves of higher buildings. Do they ever use single story buildings and is there a way to attract them?
Swifts nest from any height from 8 feet / 2.4m to the highest points is tower blocks across Europe. Attracting swifts have never been easier. We know so much more now compared to when I started in the late 90s. It too me to 2007 to get my first pair. By contrast a young guy over here who started in April '13 picked up two pairs within four weeks. One pair bred and one pair were a practice pair ie too young to breed. 1st, 2nd and 3rd year birds will pair but its not until they are 3 that they are old enough to breed. This May two pairs and three singles arrived at the guys house. He now has five pairs with three pairs on eggs. Amazingly three pairs of house martins have decided to nest under his swift boxes.
To buy a ready made swift box will cost £15 up to £55 but one made from 10mm exterior ply will cost around £3 plus £1-2 for the nest hollow. My local builders yard cuts the wood to size for me and I screw them together. An hour the other day was all it took for me to get the wood cut for a triple chamber box and assemble it. We always say put up at least two boxes because swifts will fight over boxes
http://youtu.be/SDl1d1oO4ek (http://youtu.be/SDl1d1oO4ek)
Attracting them is very easy. Non breeders are about to arrive and will be looking for nest sites. They are attracted by other swifts and can be fooled by playing calls from an active swift colony. You can play this from a mini hi-fi to a tweeter inside or hung from a cup hook under the boxes. I can send the calls on a CD
Everything you need to know is here http://saveourswifts.co.uk/attractswifts.htm (http://saveourswifts.co.uk/attractswifts.htm)
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I now make the entrance hole in the bottom corner so its level with the base of the box. It saves the swifts lifting their little legs up to the edge.
The front is the last piece to go on. The box can be attached to a wall via two holes drilled in the back of the box.
The nest hollows are budgie concaves that can be bought from any good pet shop. If the concave is in the box the swifts will lay eggs first and make the nest around the eggs adding to it daily until the eggs hatch
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Who can ID all of the nesting material?
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Not exactly in the garden.
I shot this with my little field bridge camera ( hand held) so it's not really suitable for full screen
http://youtu.be/qijCFJGhLb0 (http://youtu.be/qijCFJGhLb0)
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Many thanks Mark!
This is exactly the sort of information I am after. It's good to hear that they are fairly easy to attract. I should be able to find a suitable position about 3 metres up for a box.
We often have swifts overflying the area above our house and indeed the numbers seem to have increased recently (presumably due to the non-breeders you refer to).
It would be great to be able to watch swifts up close!
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Hi Roma I liked your picture of the red squirrel, wish we had them down here instead of the grey interloper.
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waxworms seems to be the preferred diet for hand rearing swifts but they're expensive
In the 1970s you couldn't get waxworms, only mealworms.
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I should be able to find a suitable position about 3 metres up for a box.
I forgot to saw they need a clear flight path in and out. Watching them on camera is good but sitting out for the last hour of daylight is better. They put on a fantastic air display. Last ones home last night were at 22.55
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Not in the garden but
Another Scottish hen harrier has been killed while at or close to the nest
http://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/the-untouchables-strike-again-yet-another-illegally-killed-hen-harrier/ (http://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/the-untouchables-strike-again-yet-another-illegally-killed-hen-harrier/)
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Some swift videos from this morning
chick getting fed
http://youtu.be/iMjbn3-HUcw (http://youtu.be/iMjbn3-HUcw)
bangers then a nervous new arrival. Bangers is a word used to describe swifts looking for a nest site. They bang at possible nest holes to get a reaction. Breeding swifts shout out together, duetting, to say the nest is occupied
http://youtu.be/kNuB0i3Il5o (http://youtu.be/kNuB0i3Il5o)
my own springwatch
http://youtu.be/7ElRGn5Q1DU (http://youtu.be/7ElRGn5Q1DU)
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Very impressive!!!
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Thanks. This could be you next year. A young guy over here who started in April '13 got a breeding pair and non breeding pair within four weeks. This year he has 5 pairs with three pairs on eggs
Did you make your boxes? PM me your address and I'll put a CD of swift calls in the post tomorrow.
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Some of you may be interested in how busy swifts are at this time of year feeding chicks
sunrise 04.48
feeding rates under eave box 9 - 3 11-day old chicks
1st leaves at 04.41 2nd 04.53. 05.19, 05.22, one broods, 06.12, one broods other leaves 06.21, other leaves 06.36, 06.54, 07.10, one broods leaves at 07.43, 07.55, 08.20 broods until 08.42, 09.03 stays to brood, 09.48 broods,
10.42 both leave 10.48, 11.26 broods, 11.39, 12.19, 12.26, 13.07 broods, 13.25, 14.34 broods, 14.45 broods until 15.01, 15.37 broods until 15.54, 16.07 broods until 16.18, 16.53 broods until 17.49, 17.51 broods until 18.06,
feeding rates under eave box 1 back - 2 3-day old chicks. One adult always stays
1st leaves at 04.44. 05.22, 05.57, 06.38, 07.13, one broods other leaves at 07.22, 07.57, 08.43, 09.26, 10.04, 10.30 one broods other leaves at 10.40, 11.20, 11.53, 12.30, 13.04, 14.40, 15.45, 16.48, 17.47,
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Pesticides and their impact on beneficial creatures - like BEES - have been discussed at various points in the forum - such as :
From: annew on April 05, 2013, 08:55:17 AM
Please be(e) aware that neonicotinoid pesticides including imidacloprid are implicated in serious declines of bee populations. It would be wise to only apply these substances, if at all, to plants after flowering to avoid passing on to bees through the nectar or pollen.
Maggi Young: In the UK it seems that the govt. minister will not follow the advice of a committee report that such pesticides be banned : petition and info about this here :
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/ban-the-pesticides-that-are-harming-our-bees#petition (http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/ban-the-pesticides-that-are-harming-our-bees#petition)
March 16, 2014, 10:24:23 PM » Lesley Cox
Talking of bees, we seem to have fewer honey bees each year and not only the honey industry but the horticultural and agricultural industries on which NZ relies so heavily, are deeply worried about the effects of insecticides and other issues which are having a damaging effect on bee populations. So they should be worried.
Having said that, a few orchardists and market gardeners I know through my Farmers' Market life, have begun using bumble bees as their main pollinators and with great success. They are now able to buy small colonies of bumble bees (I believe 2 species are used) in specially built boxes and these are placed in small paddocks, tunnels, glass houses or wherever there is a crop to be pollinated. The bees live in the little boxes and come out in the day to fly and feed, and so pollinate. More boxes can be used in large areas. I was told (a couple of years ago) that a colony in a single box costs about $20NZ. Of course there's no honey by-product.
March 16, 2014, 10:45:29 PM » Arnold T
We have been dealing with this for a bit longer. The theories are many as to the cause of the Colony Collapse Disorder.
I've read that it's a new generation of insecticides called Neonicotinoids, which has a similarity to nicotine and Genetic Modified Organisms (GMO's).
The pollen from these GMO's are not digested by the bees so they literally starve with a full stomach.
Here is Today's news report and podcast on
Neonicotinoid Ban, Groceries Code Adjudicator Conference, Agricultural Journalism
Availability: 7 days left to listen Duration: 13 minutes First broadcast: Wednesday 25 June 2014 -
"The agri-chemical company Syngenta has applied to Defra for a derogation on the EU ban on neonicotinoids so British farmers can plant seeds treated with the insecticide this autumn. Without it they warn next year's crop of oilseed rape could fail. Environmental campaigners say the request is "outrageous" and the ban is in place to protect pollinators.
It comes as a group of international scientists publish a review of 800 scientific papers looking at the impact of neonicotinoids, the most widely used agri-chemical in the world. It claims they are damaging a wide range of invertebrates, such as earthworms, bees and butterflies; the effects of which could spread up the food chain to birds and reptiles. The analysis, known as the Worldwide Integrated Assessment, recommends tighter regulation and a dramatic reduction in global use - if not the total phasing out of neonicotinoids.
Anna Hill chairs a discussion between Guy Smith, vice president of the NFU and Nick Mole from Pesticide Action Network, a group that campaigns to reduce pesticide use."
Podcast here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b047bsy6 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b047bsy6)
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A petition to protest against the attempt to overturn pestcide ban :
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/david-cameron-uphold-the-european-ban#petition
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Shield bugs spotted on a rowan tree yesterday
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Shield bugs spotted on a rowan tree yesterday
These could be Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum, Roma. Quite scarce and coastal in Scotland.
The first image is an adult, the two together are late instar nymphs.
Chris
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Some of you may be interested in how busy swifts are at this time of year feeding chicks
I should have said each time they return they come back with 300-500 small insects. What do they eat?
http://saveourswifts.co.uk/analysis.htm (http://saveourswifts.co.uk/analysis.htm)
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Getting few pics today in the garden I spotted this little jewel. I think it may be a moth it is under an inch across. I attach two photos one to show how small it was and the second a close up or as close as I can get. Has anyone any idea of its name?
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These could be Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum, Roma. Quite scarce and coastal in Scotland.
The first image is an adult, the two together are late instar nymphs.
Chris
Thanks Chris. I counted 6 or 7 all fairly close together this morning on the tree but could only find 2 later in the afternoon.
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Getting few pics today in the garden I spotted this little jewel. I think it may be a moth it is under an inch across. I attach to photos one to show how small it was and the second a close up or as close as I can get. Has anyone any idea of its name?
Looks like a mint moth (Pyrausta aurata) Shelagh.
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Thanks Anthony that sure looks like it. We have 3 butterfly/moth books and it doesn't occur in any of them. Plenty of info on the web though, at least when you know what you are looking for. :D
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Newly emerged adult Hairy Shield Bug - Dolicharis baccarum
I thought I had found an albino but saw the old skin and remembered newly emerged ladybirds are yellow without spots and gradually become spotted and red so I expect this will gradually darken.
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Newly emerged adult Hairy Shield Bug - Dolicharis baccarum
I thought I had found an albino but saw the old skin and remembered newly emerged ladybirds are yellow without spots and gradually become spotted and red so I expect this will gradually darken.
That's a great picture Roma, showing the adult alongside the old skin (exuvium). And well spotted as it appears to be on the underside of some herbaceous plant.
Chris
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It's on Sorbus prattii, Chris, on a pendant branch just about my eye level. The first two I spotted were on the top side of the branch and I have been looking for them in the same area for a few days. Only saw two last night but have not checked today.
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Ah, Sorbus prattii, a nice tree. Bit out with my scale!
Unfortunately, I can't grow trees here.
Chris
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Not quite in the garden - actually on neighbouring blocks - parrots, mostly sulphur crested cockatoos but also galahs and corellas digging up romuleas for the starchy corms - unfortunately not thoroughly enough to eradicate this pest ;D
cheers
fermi
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Do they dig up bulbs in your garden, Fermi? Are those Lamas or Guanacos in the background of the last picture?
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Do they dig up bulbs in your garden, Fermi? Are those Lamas or Guanacos in the background of the last picture?
Hi Roma,
they can be quite destructive destroying new shoots and flowers and fruit but they only seem to dig for Romulea - which is why our cultivated forms are mostly in pots!
Those are alpacas in the last pic - kept here mostly as "herd guards" for sheep against marauding dogs and foxes, but this neighbour seems to just use them to keep down the grass,
cheers
fermi
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Interesting to see Sulphur Crested Cockatoos in the wild. Here in the U.S. , some folks pay big money to buy Sulphur Crested Cockatoos to keep as pets. They don't make very good pets except for those who are devoted to them and have the proper knowledge.
Here on the farm there are various birds that can be troublesome. Right now it is the California Quail. I do like them, so I use row cover to keep them out of newly planted vegetables. Wild Turkeys are big trouble when the wheat, barley and rye are ripening. Not much I can do about it but grow enough for everyone. :'(
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The California quail makes an interesting addition to wildlife in our local reserves.
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Anthony,
California Quail in New Zealand. They were imported as game birds and have now naturalized? Maybe something like the Ring-necked Pheasants here in California. They have naturalized in the Sacramento Valley but have never moved beyond this area. They are sure beautiful birds!
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Anthony,
California Quail in New Zealand. They were imported as game birds and have now naturalized? Maybe something like the Ring-necked Pheasants here in California. They have naturalized in the Sacramento Valley but have never moved beyond this area. They are sure beautiful birds!
Yes, along with the pheasant and others, they were introduced in the 1860s as game birds. We even have feral peacocks in some of the housing estates near us!
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Yes, along with the pheasant and others, they were introduced in the 1860s as game birds. We even have feral peacocks in some of the housing estates near us!
Anthony,
Thanks for sharing the information. Very interesting - feral peacocks.
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Unusual request -
Dr Ian Bedford Head of Entomology at John Innes Centre tweets : "Does anyone have Red Lily beetles? Urgently trying to obtain some live specimens"
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Is it not a bit late for adults? I found 10 this year late April or early May. I have not seen any signs since. One potted lily was being chewed but it was a green caterpillar. I'm just a beginner with the lily beetle so maybe someone with more experience can help.
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Wondered myself if it might be a bit late, Roma. There may be someone willing to help with their population though!
Ian Bedford is an entomologist so he must be hopeful.
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RHS suggests that there are 2 generations, with the second 'batch' to expected soon I guess:
Red lily beetle overwinters as adult beetles in soil, leaf litter and other sheltered places... The beetles begin emerging on sunny days in late March and April when they seek out the foliage of host plants. Eggs are laid...the larvae go into the soil to pupate. The next generation of adult beetles emerges from mid-summer onwards. These beetles add to the feeding damage but there is only one generation a year and these late summer adults will not mate and lay eggs until the following year.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=553 (http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=553)
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I squashed 1 earlier today.
An observation from this years experience. Having moved to a new garden and taken pots with me, and potted up several newly purchased bulbs. Only the old bulbs/pots have had lily beetles this year. None, so far of the newly potted bulbs. So were they in the old pots? In general have seen far fewer this year than previously, in mine or a neighbours garden. I get most on Cardiocrinum, but then they are a bigger target I guess.