We hope you have enjoyed the SRGC Forum. You can make a Paypal donation to the SRGC by clicking the above button

« previous next »
Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 10   Go Down

Author Topic: Wildlife February 2011  (Read 13171 times)

Peter Maguire

  • Camera-toting Gadabout - and new Grandad!
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1043
  • Country: gb
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #30 on: February 04, 2011, 05:34:05 PM »
Here's a couple more taken during the week - on a long lunch break from work when I escaped to a local nature reserve  ::)

Bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), male and female
Logged
Peter Maguire
Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.

"I've killed so many plants. I walked into a nursery once and my face was on a wanted poster." - Rita Rudner

http://www.pmfoto.co.uk/

Anthony Darby

  • Bug Buff & Punster
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9647
  • Country: nz
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #31 on: February 04, 2011, 09:17:41 PM »
The first bird I saw in New Zealand was a European house sparrow (Passer domesticus). The second was a myna (Acridothermes tristis). Blackbirds (Turdus merula) are always present in our garden near Panmure basin, where there is a colony of pied shags (Phalacrocorax varius varius). A tui (Prosthemadera n. novaeseelandiae), pretending to be a bellbird (Anthornis m. melanura), although I yet to see it to check, wakes us up at 4.30 a.m.

Last night I took Heidi for a wander down to the post box (no pick until Monday!) and found this female Auckland tree Weta (Hemideina thoracica) on a Pohutukawa tree. In the afternoon I had gone to "Butterfly Creek", near the airport, to check out their butterfly house. As I was there speaking to Paul, one of the managers, a parcel of pupae arrived from Stratford upon Avon Butterfly House! I attach a pic of a male yellow birdwing (Troides rhadamanthus) from the Philippines. The last pic is "Scar", one of two huge male salt water crocs.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2011, 09:28:40 PM by Anthony Darby »
Logged
Anthony Darby, Auckland, New Zealand.
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution"
http://www.dunblanecathedral.org.uk/Choir/The-Choir.html

Paul T

  • Our man in Canberra
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8435
  • Country: au
  • Paul T.
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #32 on: February 04, 2011, 09:30:01 PM »
"Butterfly Creek" has salt water crocs?  :o :o
Logged
Cheers.

Paul T.
Canberra, Australia.
Min winter temp -8 or -9°C. Max summer temp 40°C. Thankfully, maybe once or twice a year only.

Anthony Darby

  • Bug Buff & Punster
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9647
  • Country: nz
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #33 on: February 04, 2011, 09:34:54 PM »
Two big males. The one being fed is called Scar and came from Darwin after he broke out of his pen, destroyed the croc in the next pen before retiring back to his own jacuzzi!
Logged
Anthony Darby, Auckland, New Zealand.
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution"
http://www.dunblanecathedral.org.uk/Choir/The-Choir.html

Paul T

  • Our man in Canberra
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8435
  • Country: au
  • Paul T.
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #34 on: February 04, 2011, 09:46:22 PM »
Sort of sounds like they're undernaming themselves.  When you hear "Butterfly Creek" you really don't expect there to be salties there.  :o
Logged
Cheers.

Paul T.
Canberra, Australia.
Min winter temp -8 or -9°C. Max summer temp 40°C. Thankfully, maybe once or twice a year only.

mark smyth

  • Hopeless Galanthophile
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15254
  • Country: gb
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #35 on: February 04, 2011, 09:53:18 PM »
You will be happy to have someone close by who keeps butterflies. Will you start again in NZ? Maybe you'll get a job at the butterfly place
Logged
Antrim, Northern Ireland Z8
www.snowdropinfo.com / www.marksgardenplants.com / www.saveourswifts.co.uk

When the swifts arrive empty the green house

All photos taken with a Canon 900T and 230

Stephenb

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1284
  • 20,000+ day old man
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #36 on: February 06, 2011, 05:05:19 PM »
Out for a ski today. I only heard two bird species (not easy to detect birds when you're breathing heavily :)). One small flock of Waxwings probably on Juniper berries (which is an important food for them towards the end of the winter) and I also heard Crossbills (I'm not good at separating the different species - we have 4, probably either Common or Parrot Crossbills, Loxia spp) and what's more there was one party with young birds already out of the nest (they are extremely early breeders and the young would have been in the nest when it was -20C!). Extraodinarily hardy species...

Sorry, no pictures (it was enough skiing up the hill without having to climb up a spruce tree too..)  ;)
« Last Edit: February 06, 2011, 06:58:44 PM by Stephenb »
Logged
Stephen
Malvik, Norway
Eating my way through the world's 15,000+ edible species
Age: Lower end of the 20-25,000 day range

mark smyth

  • Hopeless Galanthophile
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15254
  • Country: gb
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #37 on: February 06, 2011, 06:05:00 PM »
By coincidence, Stephen, a man on the Native Birds forum has also had a pair of crossbills fledge young this week.
Logged
Antrim, Northern Ireland Z8
www.snowdropinfo.com / www.marksgardenplants.com / www.saveourswifts.co.uk

When the swifts arrive empty the green house

All photos taken with a Canon 900T and 230

Olga Bondareva

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 954
  • Country: 00
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #38 on: February 06, 2011, 07:00:45 PM »
Peter, lovely Bullfinches! I want to make pictures of ours but they are always at the trees top.
Logged
Olga Bondareva, Moscow, Zone 3

Anthony Darby

  • Bug Buff & Punster
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9647
  • Country: nz
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #39 on: February 07, 2011, 02:14:51 AM »
I counted five Auckland tree wetas in one tree not far from our rented house. Here is a male. I don't fancy being bitten by this, or the white-tailed spider I photographed on our living room ceiling last night. The book says "...sometimes enters houses in late summer......can be aggresive, and easily provoked into delivering a painful bite. Its fangs can inject a substantial quantity of venom, which is toxic to humans."
Logged
Anthony Darby, Auckland, New Zealand.
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution"
http://www.dunblanecathedral.org.uk/Choir/The-Choir.html

Lesley Cox

  • way down south !
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16348
  • Country: nz
  • Gardening forever, house work.....whenever!
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #40 on: February 07, 2011, 03:26:12 AM »
Glad you're having fun in Auckland alrady Anthony. :)
Logged
Lesley Cox - near Dunedin, lower east coast, South Island of New Zealand - Zone 9

Anthony Darby

  • Bug Buff & Punster
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9647
  • Country: nz
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #41 on: February 07, 2011, 05:01:25 AM »
Fun indeed. There's so much to see! So much wildlife, which reminds me, must pick up the swimming shorts as we are off to a barbecue in Farm Cove this evening! 8)
Logged
Anthony Darby, Auckland, New Zealand.
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution"
http://www.dunblanecathedral.org.uk/Choir/The-Choir.html

Paul T

  • Our man in Canberra
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8435
  • Country: au
  • Paul T.
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #42 on: February 07, 2011, 08:02:30 AM »
Anthony,

We don't have the Wettas, but I could find you a few white-tailed spiders any time you'd like?  And a zillion redbacks, and possibly a funnelweb or two (would take some time, and I couldn't guarantee that one), plus some garden spiders, heaps of other web-spinning miscellanous spiders, plus centipedes, etc.  Come for a visit and I can give you the whole menagerie if you'd like? ;D
Logged
Cheers.

Paul T.
Canberra, Australia.
Min winter temp -8 or -9°C. Max summer temp 40°C. Thankfully, maybe once or twice a year only.

Nick_the_grief

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 100
  • Incomplete beginner
    • Nicks Flickr site
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #43 on: February 09, 2011, 08:52:59 AM »
As much as I love nature can we get away from the spiders please ;D

I haven't been out much this year as the weather hasn't been great round by us (And I've stumbled across a wonderful forum - I can creep with the best) so here are a few from Christmas time.


robin by nick_the_grief, on Flickr


Wren by nick_the_grief, on Flickr


Great Tit by nick_the_grief, on Flickr

no more spiders please  :P


Spider by nick_the_grief, on Flickr
« Last Edit: February 09, 2011, 09:00:21 AM by Nick_the_grief »
Logged
Nick
North Warwickshire

Nick_the_grief

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 100
  • Incomplete beginner
    • Nicks Flickr site
Re: Wildlife February 2011
« Reply #44 on: February 09, 2011, 09:01:11 AM »
Quote from: Peter Maguire on February 04, 2011, 05:34:05 PM
Here's a couple more taken during the week - on a long lunch break from work when I escaped to a local nature reserve  ::)

Bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), male and female

Lovely shot Peter,

These are one of my favourites
Logged
Nick
North Warwickshire
Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 10   Go Up
« previous next »
 

Scottish Rock Garden Club is a Charity registered with Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR): SC000942
SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal