Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: kiwi on November 01, 2013, 08:38:38 AM
-
NZ Hoverflies.
-
This seems a little sad. 2nd November was warm and sunny since then it's been rainy, windy and now cold. Here's a memory from those few days ago.
-
Everyone loves vitamins
[attachimg=1]
-
This seems a little sad. 2nd November was warm and sunny since then it's been rainy, windy and now cold. Here's a memory from those few days ago.
We have drone flies here (gecko food ;D), but I've only seen the NZ red admiral three times, and only once in the garden.
-
Two Red Admirals here today on ivy flowers. The temperature was only about 10C but when the sun was on it the ivy was covered in flies and hover flies and even a few wasps as well as the butterflies. I could not see any honey bees but without my glasses it is difficult to tell honey bees from some hoverflies and there were so many of them.
-
One of the local birds we love to see is the blue wren - I think this is the "Superb Fairy Wren" - malurus cyaneus;
the rock he's standing on is just above where we saw a brown snake sunning itself in the garden on Sunday!
cheers
fermi
-
Scottish Grouse moors are shooting and dumping their Mountain hares
http://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/the-gruesome-fate-of-mountain-hares-on-scottish-grouse-moors/ (http://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/the-gruesome-fate-of-mountain-hares-on-scottish-grouse-moors/)
-
Fairy wrens are gorgeous birds
-
The noisy focus of a rowdy bunch of birds in our garden turned out to be a young Boomslang (tree snake) that had somehow got itself trapped up a large tree! The boughs were too wide and slippery for the terrified creature to get an adequate purchase and climb higher. We watched the drama unfold for several hours until darkness descended and the snake made its escape along the ground after an ignominious nosedive - the birds would not let up! I found it highly amusing that a creature so well adapted to life in the trees should get so hopelessly stuck up one - I suppose the angry birds had something to do with that.
-
Nothing as exotic as a boomslang here. In fact, even zoos aren't allowed to keep snakes, except native ones. The only one that qualifies is a sea snake. :)
I caught this moth in the trap this morning. Mahoe Stripper (Feredayia graminosa). It is a native and the caterpillars strip Mahoe (Melicytus) leaves.
-
This creature has been banned from future entry into South Africa for slaughtering "the King of the beasts" for fun. I think Richard Robinson sums up my feelings and Ricky Gervais hit the nail on the head. She is one sick individual if she thinks killing for fun is acceptable behaviour. http://www.change.org/petitions/the-government-of-the-republic-of-south-africa-deny-future-entry-to-melissa-bachman?share_id=ChMzDtmKPJ&utm_campaign=share_button_action_box&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition (http://www.change.org/petitions/the-government-of-the-republic-of-south-africa-deny-future-entry-to-melissa-bachman?share_id=ChMzDtmKPJ&utm_campaign=share_button_action_box&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition)
-
I find the activities of Melissa Bachman very shocking >:(
-
....and i do not :)
-
Oh dear. ???
-
Always two sides to every story, I guess (though my personal opinion is with a rifle that size with those sights on it, it's not that much of a "hunt" -she could probably have shot a mouse from three miles away).
Some further info on the issue :
Bachman's hunt was set up by the Maroi Conservancy. They've released this statement on their Facebook Page about the "controversy":
Maroi Conservancy is getting a lot of hate mail from all around the world regarding the Melissa Bachman lion hunt. If I can clarify a couple of facts:
Maroi Conservancy is based in the Limpopo Province, 30 km from Musina, right next to the Limpopo Border. We are operating on 8500 hectares. All the game on the conservancy is free roaming and occur here naturally.
Our motto is “conservation through sustainable hunting”.
We do ethical hunting and all meat from animals hunted is distrubuted to the local community. Funds generated from hunting goes towards fixing the border fence that was washed away in the 2013 floods; combating poaching which is excessive in this area due to close proximaty to ZImbabwe and running a sustainable conservancy. We have lost 2 eland, 4 giraffes and numerous other animals in the past 2 months that were killed by spears and dogs. We control our game numbers to prevent starvation of animals.
We have hunters from all over the world and all game hunting is done ethically on Maroi as per guidelines from Nature Conservation.
We had Melissa Bachman hunting plains game at Maroi in the past month. She was assisted by our PH Julious Heyneke. On her wish list was a lion. There are no lions on Maroi as they do not occur here naturallly. We contacted a outfitter in the North West Province and we faciltated the hunt for Melissa. We paid over the monies for the hunt to them and Melissa was tranported to Zeerust. We did not benefit financially by this hunt.
All documentation were in place for this hunt eg permits etc as required by Nature Conservation. The lion was not drugged or enclosed in a camp. It was free roaming on more than 2000 hectares. Melissa is a professional hunter and in no way is she involved in dubious practices.
We are not apologising for facilitating the hunt. As for all the negative commentary towards us, please consider how much you have contributed to conservation in the past 5 years. If you are not a game farmer and struggling with dying starving animals, poaching and no fences in place to protect your animals and crop, please refrain from making negative degoratory comments. It is so easy to judge if you are staying in cities and towns, buying your meat at ‘woolies’ and going to game reserves maybe once a year.
It is a fact, that due to the hunting industry and money generated out of this industry, there are more animals in South Africa than 100 years ago."
Comments on positive impacts of hunting in South Africa:
South Africa’s government is strengthening relations with the multi-million dollar industry, which it says has increased populations of wild animals and is vital for conservation.
“Sustainable utilisation in the form of hunting, ecotourism, game sales, and translocations have resulted in an increase in a number of scarce game species, including bontebok, roan and sable antelope,” SA’s Minister for Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, said.
But perhaps hunting’s greatest success was encouraging the white rhinoceros population to increase by more than 10 times since hunting of the animals began in 1968, when only 1800 were left in SA. By 2010, there were 18,800.
“The generally positive role that sport hunting has played in the increase in white rhino numbers in South Africa is also recognised by the International Conservation Union,” Ms Molewa said.
“Hunting, together with live-sales and ecotourism, has assisted in giving the white rhino value that has generated incentives. This has played a critical and positive role in the successful conservation of this species in South Africa, and helped encourage the rapid expansion of range and numbers.
“Game farming and hunting contributes significantly to conservation, tourism development, job creation and sustainable development, especially in rural areas, and is part of the broader biodiversity economy,” she added.
These things are seldom clear-cut. :'(
-
But perhaps hunting’s greatest success was encouraging the white rhinoceros population to increase by more than 10 times since hunting of the animals began in 1968, when only 1800 were left in SA. By 2010, there were 18,800.
Maybe the same could be said about abortion,and is that why the worlds population has increased to 7 billion. :'( :'( :'(
-
There are alternatives and it just shows the lengths people go to try and justify their beliefs. Substitute a camera for the rifle and you get the same effect without the unjustifiable slaughter of a beautiful animal. I have seen South African methods of culling elephants by helicopter. It is harrowing watching these terrified beasts being shot one by one, while the rest run in panic.
-
Perhaps a campaign to stop the selling of game licences would be more effective than banning one woman ?
-
Spot the spider.
-
Spot the spider.
How did you know his name was Spot? :-\ ;)
-
I found it eventually but it took a while.very well camouflaged. I think spot is a good name Maggi. :P ;D
-
How did you know his name was Spot? :-\ ;)
Those Kiwis are always naming things the way they see them!
;D
I eventually spotted it too after Michael's hint!
cheers
fermi
-
I cant see the spider but can see a child with a blanket over its head making a heart/love sign with its hands
-
Well known fact that I am in sore need of new glasses - I cannot spot Spot...... :'(
Can't see the child either- and I'm usually quite good at spotting ( :D ) shapes in clouds etc..... maybe I'm just losing it! ( no need to answer that, by the way!!)
-
Bottom right hand corner
-
Spot,the spider
-
Bottom right hand corner
The tiny bit of fluff/thread?
-
OH! So Spot the spider has markings like a child holding its hands in a heart shape?
Crikey! Who'd a thunk it? ::)
-
Here's a close up. Eriophora pustulosa, a common Australian immigrant that may have colonised New Zealand blown on the wind. You will notice its leg, top right, resting on a thread linking to the main web to detect movement caused by a trapped insect. The specific name refers to the lumps on her bum. 8) She is now officially called Spot. ;D
-
Brilliant, thank you. But I think I need to visit Spec Savers!
-
I saw it quite quickly but then I spent my youth looking for caterpillars.
A nice surprise in the moth trap after weeks of nothing, a nice December moth, black and see through at the same time.
-
Much more interesting than the November moth. ;)