Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: Michael J Campbell on June 03, 2013, 07:25:20 PM
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Giant fluorescent pink slug discovered in Australia.
http://www.thejournal.ie/pink-slug-australia-933332-Jun2013/?utm_source=twitter_self (http://www.thejournal.ie/pink-slug-australia-933332-Jun2013/?utm_source=twitter_self)
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I see those regularly outside our pub, usually at home time!!! :D :o
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I suppose pink elephants are so last century. ::)
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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.
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Giant fluorescent pink slug discovered in Australia.
http://www.thejournal.ie/pink-slug-australia-933332-Jun2013/?utm_source=twitter_self (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?"
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 ;D
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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 :(
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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. :-X
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...
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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. :-X
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.
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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. :-\
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Perhaps you should read (or re-read) "The Little Prince"? :)
cheers
fermi
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Double edged sword - fantastic privilege that the fox feels at home in your garden, but the possible destruction it could wreak if a tasty morsel is in the middle of a prized clump!
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While I was out checking the Dactylorhiza there happened to be a couple of insects to hand.
The Smerinthus ocellata was quite happy on my hand but kept quivering its wings.
I'm not sure about the Damselfly(?) any ID please?
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While I was out checking the Dactylorhiza there happened to be a couple of insects to hand.
The Smerinthus ocellata was quite happy on my hand but kept quivering its wings.
That's a cracker - was it newly emerged and still expanding its wings?
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No Maggi. It's meant to look like that. Vibrating the wings warms up the muscles ready for flight. These big bodied moths need to warm their engines up before they can take off.
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No Maggi. It's meant to look like that. Vibrating the wings warms up the muscles ready for flight. These big bodied moths need to warm their engines up before they can take off.
Ah, that's logical - thanks!
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Anything on the Damselfly anyone?
This little beauty was having a roam about the kitchen. It looks much better enlarged :D
the Shield bug tag is a guess.
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Double edged sword - fantastic privilege that the fox feels at home in your garden, but the possible destruction it could wreak if a tasty morsel is in the middle of a prized clump!
Perhaps you should read (or re-read) "The Little Prince"? :)
cheers
fermi
Hi Fermi,
I have never read The Little Prince' and am unlikely to, but I suspect as you have replied to my post it wouldn't make good reading regarding my getting fond of the fox. And the same from Anthony.
Perhaps discouraging is the best option.
Graham
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Anything on the Damselfly anyone?
This little beauty was having a roam about the kitchen. It looks much better enlarged :D
the Shield bug tag is a guess.
Fred
At a stab I would say one of the shieldbugs from the Pentatomidae possibly either or similar to Eysarcoris fabricii - not expert knowledge simply reference to my library!
Frazer
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Anything on the Damselfly anyone?
Fred,
Difficult challenge with the photograph you provided - my initial thought was a green form of the Variable Damselfly, Coenagrion pulchellum, but I'm coming round to thinking it's a female Common Blue Damselfly, Enallagma cyathigerum, again the green form.
They are generally easier to identify if there is a view of the top of the abdomen also. ;)
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Can anyone identify this beetle I found sitting on the lid of the dustbin where I store water for the cold frame?
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I wondering if that is a bit of the Cardinal beetle?
some pictures here http://focusonwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/cardinal-beetle.html (http://focusonwildlife.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/cardinal-beetle.html)
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I would say Dictyoptera aurora, a rare northern species.
(edit by maggi : refers to Roma's red beetle)
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yup, that looks like it. Never come accross that before!
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Thank you, Antony. Amazing texture on the wing cases. The head and antennae were visible when I first saw it, but it was on its back when I returned with the camera and tucked them in when I put it the right way up. I went back later but it had gone. I don't suppose I'll see one again.
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In the garden pond today, taken by Lynn
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Check on the weans?
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Seen in poor light through a dirty window
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Not what I would wish to see loitering around my Meconopsis!
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I've been having a play around with a new (to me) camera for bird photography (Canon SX50) and thought that I might post a few pictures of the results.
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias - this was actually my first experience with the camera. It was taken in Seattle where we were visiting my wife's cousin. Robin is a keen bird photogrpaher and let me play with her camera on a trip to a local reserve. This was the best result from my first half hour with the camera. :D
Jackdaw Corvus monedula - having returned home and bought one for myself, my first major trip was to a local country park. This was taken whilst sitting in the car - the site is well known to local birdlife as a place where people come to feed them!.
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis - taken immediately afterwards, still sitting in the car. This used to be a good local site for Red Squirrels, I haven't seen any there recently. :-\
Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella - as seen at Findhorn on the Moray Firth the week before the Pitlochry party.
Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius - also taken at Findhorn.
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Super images, Peter ... any or all of those taken using a tripod?
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None; the heron was totally hand-held, the Jackdaw and Squirrel resting against the car door, and the other two I did actually use a monopod, which seems to work well with the camera's image stabiliser (you noramlly have to turn this off when using a tripod, and the command is buried amongst the camera menus, not a switch on the body).
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Thanks Peter ... the images are compelling evidence for the defence!
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Three hoverflies enjoying Celmisia flowers. The first two look similar but one had yellow stripes and the other, white.
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None; the heron was totally hand-held, the Jackdaw and Squirrel resting against the car door, and the other two I did actually use a monopod, which seems to work well with the camera's image stabiliser (you noramlly have to turn this off when using a tripod, and the command is buried amongst the camera menus, not a switch on the body).
Peter, I presume you have watched this video? If not, then it may be of interest ... it certainly was for me.
Canon SX50 HS Feature Tutorial for Bird and Macro Pictures. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh3567vQQVY#)
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Cliff,
Thanks for that video - it mentions several features I haven't got round to trying.
the images are compelling evidence for the defence!
Do this mean you're going to buy one? If you do, I'll send you a copy of a forwarded email I recieved which details how a professional American bird photographer has it set up for her use - she uses aperture priority, not shutter speed priority, but it seems to work for her! ???
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Roma,
Nice photos - and a nice Celmisia! I think your first two are probably different species, the first one may be Episyrphus balteatus, and third one Leucozona lucorum but I'm only a beginner when it comes to hoverflies. If you have time on your hands, you could try this website:
http://www.hoverfly.org.uk/portal.php (http://www.hoverfly.org.uk/portal.php)
which has photos to help identifcation. Be warned though, there are a lot of similar species! It might be better to see if Anthony can help here.
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Cliff,
Thanks for that video - it mentions several features I haven't got round to trying.
Do this mean you're going to buy one? If you do, I'll send you a copy of a forwarded email I recieved which details how a professional American bird photographer has it set up for her use - she uses aperture priority, not shutter speed priority, but it seems to work for her! ???
It seems quite likely, Peter - so I would appreciate that e-mail when you can spare the time please. Many thanks.
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Noticed this Large Skipper - Ochlodes sylvanus feeding on the violas :D
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Goodness me! What superb photos you folks take!
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Who is this fellow?
johnw
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Hi John,
I think it might be a (Sphinx Moths, Hawkmoths) Hummingbird Clearwing Hemaris thysbe
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Hemaris-thysbe (http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Hemaris-thysbe)
Graham
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Thanks Graham. I had an awful time trying to photograph him as he moved to another plant as I neared. Then he got bored with me and stayed at this Dianthus and I was able to get within 6" from him. Certainly was a beauty with those red markings.
john
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In the UK the are called bee hawk moths. The wings are opaque until their first flight, then the scales covering the transparencies fall off.