Wildlife June 2013

[Michael J Campbell]

Giant fluorescent pink slug discovered in Australia.

http://www.thejournal.ie/pink-slug-australia-933332-Jun2013/?utm_source=twitter_self

[ranunculus]

I see those regularly outside our pub, usually at home time!!!   

[Anthony Darby]

I suppose pink elephants are so last century.

[Michael J Campbell]

A Queen bumblebee has set up home in one of my bird boxes. Look like Bombus lapidarius, Red tailed bumblebee. There are quite a few workers now all over the garden and in the greenhouse, and I am delighted as I had only seen two bees and three wasps all spring. As the temperature reached 24c here today there was a circle of workers at the entrance fanning their wings to keep it cool.

[Mark Griffiths]

Giant fluorescent pink slug discovered in Australia.

http://www.thejournal.ie/pink-slug-australia-933332-Jun2013/?utm_source=twitter_self

From the article "is rarely seen, as it is confined to this one remote area of land and only comes out at night."

Looking like that I'm not surprised.

"Are you really going out like that?"

[Mark Griffiths]

a couple of moths.

from 2nd June a Wood Tiger - pic taken at the Devil's Punch bowl close to Wantage. Fair number of small blues, Dingy Skipper and Green Hairstreaks.

Puss Moth taking a cat nap by our porch light.

[brianw]

We have had wasp problems in the past with allergic results.
I see I can buy, or find instructions on making, artificial wasp nests, to fool incomers that this area has already a wasp colony in occupation. Are these relevant to the UK species. Are they that territorial and how big is a territory?
We have certainly had new nests in diferent years, but I have never realised or noticed if old nests are reused.

[jomowi]

Highlight of my holiday last week on the Thames and Kennet & Avon Canal was the mooring on a backwater of the Thames on the second night.  A flash of blue followed by a chittering noise coming from the bank under the steps leading up from the landing stage told us that we had inadvertently tied up just feet away from a kingfisher's nest.  The parents were not a bit fazed by our presence and had to make a slight deviation in their flight path to the nest to get round the prows of our Narrow Boat pair.  Their approach was from an island on the other side of the boats.  Early next morning I was able to bird watch from the luxury of my bed! Managed a pic, but of poor quality.  Also from my cabin just a few yards away was a great crested grebe on her nest, long tailed tits and a great spotted woodpecker in the trees above and a green woodpecker flew overhead.  Magical.  My early morning walk nearby yielded  a pair of Canada geese with 14 youngsters in tow.  This seems a huge number to have survived to this stage without predation.  Do they have creches like Eider ducks?  No wonder they are becoming a menace.

[Lori S.]

My early morning walk nearby yielded  a pair of Canada geese with 14 youngsters in tow.  This seems a huge number to have survived to this stage without predation.  Do they have creches like Eider ducks?  No wonder they are becoming a menace.

Yes, they have this behavior... an adult or an adult pair can be left "in charge" of all the young in a flock, while the other adults are out feeding elsewhere (presumably).  Fourteen is a pretty small bunch.  We used to live in a different Canadian prairie city where Canada geese nested and fed through the summer; there the herd of young being tended by an adult or two would be up to 40 or more.

[jomowi]

Thank you Lori for answering my query. With eider ducks, the males go off in a gang to moult and the females collect the youngsters together.  It just seemed to be a pair of adults with this brood of Canada goslings which made me wonder.

[Graham Catlow]

What a bl**dy nerve
Middle of the afternoon sunning itself in a patch of garden left bare from a rhododendron prune. Didn't seem to care I was about.
As you can see no real fear either.
I was only about 2 meters from it and it allowed me to photograph it with my phone.
It moved on with a little encouragement

[chasw]

Not chuffed with the magpies again this year,Last year had the two broods that the blackbird had,total of 8 chicks,and this year so far have had 4,we did manage to halt the slaughter for a little while with the last chick taking refuge in the shade tunnel,its first flight into the neighbours garden was fatal,saw it all happen Magpie just killed it and then left grrrrr

[Maggi Young]

Graham, your fox knows no-one will kill him to make a hat  while he's moulting, so he can snooze in peace - besides, he's come back to see if you have any more rabbits that need to be dealt with. 

Chas, we had a pair of magpies building a nest in the garden for the first time - but one was killed by the sparrow hawk, who left the body - so what goes around comes around, it seems...

[Graham Catlow]

Graham, your fox knows no-one will kill him to make hat  while he's moulting, so he can snooze in peace - besides, he's come back to see if you have any more rabbits that need to be dealt with. 



Maggie,
I suspect its the same fox and as long as it doesn't tear my troughs apart or make a mess it can visit when it likes. Especially if it keeps the rabbits away.

[Graham Catlow]

Not wishing to labour the point but the fox is back again this morning.
Despite the destruction of the troughs a few weeks ago I'm beginning to get fond of it.
Perhaps if I leave it alone it won't mess in its own back garden.