Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: Gerdk on August 03, 2008, 03:58:11 PM
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Maybe it is the time to change the Wildlife period, at least for the Northern Hemisphere.
Here is a pic from today - made during a walk in the neighbourhood.
Pyrrhocoris apterus - fire bugs
Gerd
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Completely new to me, Gerd.
What do they do? Kill other creatures? Eat plants? Pester humans?
Paddy
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Paddy,
They are completely harmless. Mainly they suck from seeds of lindentrees. Some people feel disturbed when a lot of them creep into their rooms.
Gerd
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I would certainly be amongst the disturbed ;D
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As many of you know, I have been distrurbed for years ::) and I still wouldn't like these guys in my house. Not too keen on seed-eating bugs.... even if they mostly eat tree seed......I think they'll eat other stuff too... bugs nearly always do, don't they? Alarming that they gather in large numbers, too. :o
As an aside... the linden trees...limes... are looking great around here just know.... full of bees and the scent of the flowers is lovely
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In NZ, firebug is the term frequently used for the nasty people who light fires in schools, public buildings etc. Arsonists in fact. >:(
Actually, even in the enlarged pic, I thought they WERE the seeds of something. :)
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As an aside... the linden trees...limes... are looking great around here just know.... full of bees and the scent of the flowers is lovely
Maggi
Aren't Limes responsible for the sticky mess when you park your car under them?
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Not sure about that, Art, I know sycamores can be a pest in that regard.....not that Ian would ever park our beloved car, Verity, in such an undignified position!! ;) :D ;D
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A couple of Dragonflies now on the wing. I am not certain of the id. of the male as it does not look the same as in my Field Guide, but it does not look like a female either. Perhaps our bug specialists could confirm.
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Is Anthony still on holiday?
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I believe Anthony won't be back for another week...... the filthy gadabout! :P
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Tom,
I think that the reason your male common darter doesn't match your field guide is that it's actually a female. The book that I use notes that 'ageing female specimens' frequently have a median red streak down the abdomen.
Peter
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Pyrrhocoris apterus
Sounds like a wizarding spell from Harry Potter :P
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Tom,
I think that the reason your male common darter doesn't match your field guide is that it's actually a female. The book that I use notes that 'ageing female specimens' frequently have a median red streak down the abdomen. Perhaps I'll have to look around carefully when I go to the discussion weekend. ;D
Peter
Steady, Peter.........[attach=1] I don't think you'll get away with that....
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Mmmm,
Looking again in the cold light of day (very cold, wet - typical british summer) I decided to modify the post
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TeeHee... it's still in my quote box, though!! ;D
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The book that I use notes that 'ageing female specimens' frequently have a median red streak down the abdomen.
Peter
In my experience aging females usually have moles, stretch marks and a red patch where they scratched the itchy spot created by the labels on their knickers.
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Too much information Lesley!! :o ;)
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Note to self: read all previous postings first ;D
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It certainly helps Ross.
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Note to self: read all previous postings first ;D
Ross, your note has just given Ian and I a reallly good laugh............one of the pleasures of this Forum is the comments coming whizzing out of left field which can lead to much giggling and even chortling... all of which is terribly good for us!
Laughter apart, though, your "note to self" is a sensible one.... I have got myself well and truly confused sometimes ..... and that's just when reading about the plants! :-[
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Getting back to the wildlife (apart from Peter at the discussion weekend),
here is one of our local nocturnal birds who was sitting on a rock in our neighbour's front garden!
[attachthumb=1]
It's a tawny frogmouth, Podargus strigoides
[attachthumb=2]
looking a bit bedraggled because of the rain,
[attachthumb=3]
but quite content to sit there all day,
[attachthumb=4]
when on a tree branch it is almost indistinguishable from the tree!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
VERY cool to see a Tawny Frogmouth like that. Does stand out a bit more when on a rock though, doesn't it. Didn't stop it trying to blend in and act like a branch though. ;) I wonder why it chose to sit so low down. I hope it is OK. I love the fact that it is keeping it's eyes a crack open to keep an eye on you, but slitting them to make it look like it doesn't have eyes in the first place and is "just another branch on this.... er.... rock?". ;D
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here is one of our local nocturnal birds who was sitting on a rock in our neighbour's front garden!
fermi
I'm surprised you can't tell the difference between a bird and a frog Fermi. :D
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Scrub that. Before I enlarged the pics I really thought they WERE of a frog. ::) So NOW who can't tell the difference. :-[ :-[ :-[
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Lesley,
Made even more amusing by the fact they're known as Tawny Frogmouth's. At least you obviously aren't alone in the frog link! ;D ;)
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It was when I enlarged and saw some feather's that I twigged. As Maggi says - there's often a clue.
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I thought that is was about time I pushed my posts over 100 and acquired senior status, so I'll post some recent wildlife photos with you. I was fortunate to accompany my hard-working wife Anne on one of her working trips recently - to Tanzania. Much of the time the itinerary was dictated by her work commitments, but I did manage a one-day safari trip to Arusha National Park (in less than prefect weather, the rainy season was going on longer than expected) and also a fair bit of birdwatching around various places. I've tentatively identified most of the pictures, but feel free to correct me if I've mis-named anything.
I'll start with some of the larger specimens, all from Arusha National Park:
Giraffe (Maasai subspecies, possibly Gerry's relation?) - 3 of very many pictures
Common zebra with sacred ibis
African buffalo with yelow billed egret
Defassa waterbuck
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Common warthog
Olive baboon
Kirk's dik-dik
Gueraza colobus x2
Ochre bush-squirrel
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You'll notice the mammals are getting smaller, and that's all the mammal shots that I felt were worth showing. Arusha NP is not the place to go to see large predators, but with only a day to spare it was the only park that would be worth a one day vsit from where we were staying in Moshi, and I was more than happy with what I saw and experienced - the grin took several days to fade.
I took quite a number of bird photos, mainly to aid later identification, but such is the power of digital photography these days, that many of them were resasonable for web use, so here's a variety of the better ones:
Mountain wagtail (Moticilla clara) - Marangu, Kilimanjaro
Green Pigeon (Treron calva) - Moshi
Fiscal Shrike (Lanius collaris) - Arusha NP
Reichenow's Weaver (Ploceus baglafecht reichenowi) - Arusha NP
Black chested harrier eagle (circaetus pectoralis) with ?hyrax - Arusha NP
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And aren't we glad about the wonders of digital phtography, Peter, that enable you to bring us these pctures?
The last shot of the harrier swooping off with his prey was very lucky, surely? You could sit for weeks waiting for a shot like that?! Is "lunch" one of the bush-squirrels? Looks a bit like it.
We have a bizarre fondness for (some) pigeons here, so it is fun to see how the "green pigeon" does exactly "what it says on the tin" ;)
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Wonderful shots Peter.
My wife's work involves trips to Halifax and Rawtenstall (not in the same league as Tanzania I'm afraid)! :)
Was going to make a comment about lucky Kirk (see image titles), but, unusually, thought better of it...
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Cliff,
This is the topic for putting one's foot in it...... (see page 1)
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I usually jump straight in with two Peter!
Has anyone been banished from the forum yet?
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A few more birds
White-browed Coucal (Centropus superciliosus) - Arusha NP (an immature bird, hence the lack of white brow. It's a cuckoo relative)
Yellow vented bulbul (Pyconotus barabatus) - Dar es Salaam
Red eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata) - Zanzibar (no, it's not a collared dove in our back garden, honest. Note the bleary-eyed, morning after look).
Maggi, the harrier eagle was carrying the small furry thing on a savannah-like area, the bush squirrel was photographed several hours later in some high altitude rain forest on the rim of a small crater (Ngurdoto, not it's larger relative Ngorogoro in the Serengeti), so I'm assuming it's a different small furry beastie.
Arusha National Park has scenically very varied from savannah to dry woodland to soda and freshwater lakes and rainforest. More than a day's worth of viewing really, we were rushing to finish before sunset to see a good part of the park. It was my first African experience, and as my dream job as a small boy was to be a game warden (this was even before my engine driver phase) I was as 'happy as a pig in muck', to use the polite form of the old expression.
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A final few varied creatures from Tanzania:
Yellow headed dwarf gecko (Lygodactylus l. luteupicturartus) - Dar es Salaam
Same gecko, but just moulted
Tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus semitorquata) - Zanzibar
Unkown millipede - Zanzibar (13-15mm diameter, 250mm in length) *probably Archispirotreptis gigas, the giant african millipede - well named!*
Similar, slightly smaller millipede with many stockings on - Zanzibar
Ghost crab - Zanzibar
When I was offered the chance to go to Tanzania, I thought 'have to go, could be the trip of a lifetime' . Now I'm going to have to save up and go back.
Peter
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Just magical
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Wonderful pictures Peter. Many, many thanks. I do admire the millipede's natty red legs and the yellow head of that most attractive gecko. And I've always loved giraffes, such gentle faces and stunning eye-lashes.
We have a fiscal shrike here too. Otherwise known as the Minister of Finance.
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Very cool pics!! Thanks for showing us Tanzania.
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Howdy All,
Not exactly wildlife itself, but rather evidence of wildlife. This is the bower of the Satin Bower Bird..... it's place of courting of potential mates. It collects blue things to adorn the bower surrounds (the bird itself is a deep blue-black when fully mature), as well as the occasional yellow or white item. The males reach maturity at 3 or 4 years of age, but only take on the blue-black colouration once they get to 7. The green males (they are a bright olive green before they go black) will build and maintain bowers themselves, or borrow the dominant male's bower when he is elsewhere so that they can practice. I have a couple of rather dodgy photos of a green male I took a couple of months ago at this bower if anyone wants to see them. A bit dark to be perfectly clear unfortunately. This pic I took yesterday didn't do too badly in capturing the bower and surrounds at least.
Enjoy.
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Wow, Paul, is that bower in your garden or nearby? Something I've only seen on nature documentaries before!
Do post some pics of the bird if you can.
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
No, we don't get them in my suburb YET, but they're slowly moving this way. They used to only be in the Weston Creek area of Canberra, but now have spread both north and east of there. They're in the ajacent suburb to us now, or at least in the south easterly areas.... still a little way to go until they get to us. I don't think my garden has enough cover yet to offer a space for a bower, but it would be SO nice if they did. The bower shown was in central Canberra, not far from the lake.
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That's the little brute that ate all the fruit of a lovely blue-berried coproma that was nicely ripening for me in NSW. >:(
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Lesley,
Sounds about right, although he may not have eaten them but rather carried them back to his bower to add to the display. They are attracted to blue items.... you have to watch your blue pegs on the washing line, or else they won't be. :o
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Fermi,
As requested, here are a couple of very poor, fuzzy pictures from back in May when I was watching a green male practicing at the bower. They give the idea, even if they are awful pictures. ::)
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Fermi, Paul & Peter,
enjoyed your great wild-life shots :o
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Howdy All,
I'm posting these in addition to a shot in the ANBG thread..... some of the wildlife I have encountered, both of these fairly early in the morning (6.50am in the case of the Kangaroos) in pretty poor light. The Kangaroos were inside the grounds in the carpark adjacent to the bookshop and main concourse. I think they were as surprised to see me as I was to see them at that time of the morning. ;) As you can see, steps aren't a problem for them.... no, Kangaroos do not have glowing red eyes, it was dark so I had to use the flash for most of the shots.
I quite like Kangaroos.... very tasty!! ;D I read somewhere recently that Australia is the only country that eats the animals featured in it's official Coat of Arms (ours has a Kangaroo and an Emu as part of it), then again how many countries have an animal on their coat of arm that can become a feral pest in pastures during droughts, and breed very quickly when it rains!? haven't tried emu, but had a Kangaroo steak last night. Soft, tasty meat, and to be honest far better suited to being "grown" in this country that cattle or sheep. perfectly suited to our country of extremes, that is for sure.
Anyway, I digress...... pics of Kangaroos are below. Also a "White Winged Chough", one of a group scoping out the cafeteria for any food scraps. They travel in flocks of extended families, and I am SO glad I don't get them in my garden at home as they are even worse :o than the darn blackbirds!! ::) You can just see the white under the wing on the far side of the bird.... when in flight they are black with a broad white panel on the wings.
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Ah! Skippy.
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They travel in flocks of extended families, and I am SO glad I don't get them in my garden at home as they are even worse :o than the darn blackbirds!! ::)
"White Winged Chough" look like pigeons. Fit to eat and tasty? ;D
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Fermi,
As requested, here are a couple of very poor, fuzzy pictures from back in May when I was watching a green male practicing at the bower. They give the idea, even if they are awful pictures. ::)
I didn't think the bower was a nest Paul?
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Sorry Anthony, did I use to term nest in my description did I? I thought I'd managed not to. No, the bower is not a nest, it is a display "platform" (for want of a better term) to impress females. The blue items are there to enhance the visual impact of the deep blue-black male, and the bower shows his prowess at keeping his territory etc. The courting displays are very cool, and the calls are extremely intricate, both when they are at the bower and when they are up in the tree trying to get the females to come and take a look. The nest is an entirely separate item, in no way connected to the bower.
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I think the term 'nest' was only used in a photo file name, paul.
Fascinating to see one of these bowers and with the young bird having a trial run! Next time,Paul, a bower portrait with the blue bird, please!!
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Maggi,
Yep, you're right. I hadn't noticed I'd boo booed when labelling the pictures. I won't go back and re-upload them now though. Sorry for the oops.
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Paul, if the biggest OOPS I make is the mis-labelling of a file name, then I will die a happy woman! ::)
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Good to see the site back up, I missed it! :'( I had posted this prior to it going down so I'll repost now (thank you Maggi)
Got one heck of a good laugh from page 2 of this thread, thank you, I
needed that.
I am sitting here trying to catch up on all that's been posted lately and
heard a ruckus outside, thinking it was one of those *^%$ deer munching on
the garden again I was about to run outside and chase it off. Fortunately
I had the good sense to turn on the motion light first and take a peek out
the window. Not a deer but a skunk! That would explain some of the odd
munching that's been going on in the yard. I had thought it was squirrels
(usually not a problem) digging up my pots of hippeastrum but I bet
anything now it's been the skunk.
Any ideas on how to discourage this delightful little beast, I've never
had this problem before?
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Like with racoons, it is not a problem we have here in the UK (a point lost on the people who (re)made 101 Dalmations). ::)
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Many thanks for re-posting, Linda.
My sister, the Canadian one, had various problems with skunks moving in under her house in assorted wild places many years ago...her main worry was them attacking her cats. She never mentioned the skunks eating plants; only cats... :P :-\
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Many thanks for re-posting, Linda.
My sister, the Canadian one, had various problems with skunks moving in under her house in assorted wild places many years ago...her main worry was them attacking her cats. She never mentioned the skunks eating plants; only cats... :P :-\
Oh! in that case does anyone know where I can buy a skunk? ;D
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David I can loan you my dog,guaranteed not to leave a cat in the parish. here she is up on a chair looking out the window for cats when it is dark
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Send her over Michael, I could keep her going for weeks.
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I am getting a little concerned at the naked hatred of cats shown by several members of the Forum. My cat keeps the mice at bay - I cannot remember when I last lost a Crocus to mice.
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Arthur,
Yes, but how many of your neighbours have the cat using their gardens as a toilet? Thankfully with heavy mulching they don't bother my garden much any more, but finding choice bulbs dug out by a cat using your garden as a very stinky latrine is a big reason for a lot of cat hatred. Also in my case when they used to come a visiting I hated it because I tried to make my garden bird attractive, and the cats just used it as a hunting ground. Personally, I have no problems with cats, just those left to roam the streets hunting anything and everything they choose. I think that cats should be enclosed in yards under the same conditions as dog owners are expected to keep.... i.e the animal must stay within your own yard. That's the only gripe I have with cats.... they're lovely animals, but they should be in their owners yards only, not allowed out of them.
So there are a couple of reasons for some of the naked hatreds (mine most definitely isn't a naked hatred, just a naked love of the local birdlife that is decimated at times by the local "domestic" hunters).
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Arthur, I can assure you that whenever I (a) shout abuse at a cat about to dig in my garden; or (b) throw something heavy at a cat about to dig in my garden: I always go indoors first and put my clothes on :P
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But Arthur you dont know what your cat is doing in a neighbours garden. Only recently I dug a small hole to plant a rare Clematis 'Mary Rose'. It started to rain so I didnt finish the job. The next day I went out to plant the Clematis and found the hole partially filled in and without thinking used by bare hand to remove the soil again. My hand and fingers were covered in cat crap.
In Australia tame and feral cats are causing the loss of many of Australias rarest small marsupials. They havent evolved to cope with a non native enemy.
The last time I read British cats kill c. 53 million small mammals and birds every year
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Arthur, I can assure you that whenever I (a) shout abuse at a cat about to dig in my garden; or (b) throw something heavy at a cat about to dig in my garden: I always go indoors first and put my clothes on :P
;D ;D ;D
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Possibly this would keep the cats away. I wouldn't argue with it ! I looked out of my kitchen window this morning and saw this female Sparrowhawk plucking a pigeon. She fed on the bird for an hour and a half. When I went out to dispose of the carcase, it was plucked clean - both breasts had been eaten down to the bone. During this time, all the other small birds were feeding on the bird feeders - they must have known that it was safe to do so as long as the Sparrowhawk was occupied. Four hours later, she was back, looking for her kill. She looked around and searched the area before giving up. How she could have been hungry beggars belief. On a human scale, her first meal must have been the equivalent of a haunch of venison.
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Going by the pale feather edges I would say this is one of this years young
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I was having a pint in my local the other night listen to someone I know moan about irresponsible dog owners. I've got two dogs myself and thought I'd join in. Knowing he had two cats, I suggested maybe the owners should train the dogs to be more like his cats and climb the neighbours fence, dig a little hole and crap in the their garden. I'd had a few to drink and suggested he should hold off the attack on dog owners until such time he could control his cats. He was not amused ;D
Most cats stay away from our garden now, two large dogs see to that ;). I'd love for our dogs to be able to kill birds like cats do, the bloody Canadian geese ruin our front garden but I'm sure there would be complaints flooding in if I gave them a free hand. there has been the odd accident in the past though :o
Dave
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Tom
What wonderful shots - could it deal with a wood pigeon, we are plagued by them.
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Yes wonderful shots Tom.
Arthur - it could easily deal with a wood pigeon. Racing pigeon keepers hate them as the loose some very valuable birds to Sparrowhawks.
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Dave sparrowhawks ambush their prey by hedge hopping at speed cathing their prey on the ground or at feeders. I've seen a sparrowhawks going for bats but dont know what happened. I dont think a hawk could catch a pigeon flying at full speed. Rounded wings are for agilty not speed.
Peregrines are pigeon fanciers main enemy but they are only catching pigeons for food and dont know the difference between a wood pigeon and a £10,000 racing pigeon
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Those are wonderful shots of the sparrowhawk. Such beautiful creatures, but then I do have a soft spot for birds.
As for cats, there are more in my neighborhood than one can shake a stick at, drove me nuts the first year I was here. Cats are trainable though, even when you don't own them. Our front boulevard, which is town property, is directly under a huge fir, the ground is dry and the soil is perfect for a litter box. I've encouraged the cats to do their business there and after 3 years they're catching on. If I caught them doing it anywhere else in the yard they would get a good hosing down, caught in the front I would leave them be. So far, so good. There is an upside to having cats roaming, we have no mice issues, nor voles, but it does break my heart to see them getting all the birds. Especially knowing that they only do it for sport and not because they intend to eat them.
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Hi Mark, I did not mean they catch them in flight. Sparrowhawks are hated by the pigeon fanciers groups all over the country as they attack the birds in the garden when getting back in to their lofts and also when resting during racing. Just type in Pigeon Fanciers and Sparrowhawks on Google and you will see what I mean.
David
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My Dad's uncle lived on the moors near Halifax all his life (a house called 'Cockpit' - he used to be in charge of Ringston Reservoir) and raced pigeons for over 50 years. He stopped well after he'd retired and kept the birds until the last one was killed by a hawk. Only in his last few years did he start losing them to peregrines. He was quite matter of fact about it, blaming the lack of wild birds. "They'd not much else to eat".
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here is an interesting page that shows the migration of a 2008 Osprey chick "Glen'
http://www.roydennis.org/Glen%2084130.htm (http://www.roydennis.org/Glen%2084130.htm)
and "Moray"
http://www.roydennis.org/Moray%2084131.htm
"Alma" the Golden Eagle
http://www.roydennis.org/Golden%20Eagle%20Alma%20-%202008.htm (http://www.roydennis.org/Golden%20Eagle%20Alma%20-%202008.htm)
A young Honey Buzzard
http://www.roydennis.org/Migration%20maps%202008.htm (http://www.roydennis.org/Migration%20maps%202008.htm)
View the whole web site here
http://www.roydennis.org/index.htm (http://www.roydennis.org/index.htm)
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Thinking of installing nest box cameras next year? On Ebay someone is selling 3 way video connectors for a £1 plus postage. I've seen them elsewhere on the internet and Ebay for £7.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-Way-to-1-Phono-RCA-AV-Audio-Video-Switch-Box-Cable_W0QQitemZ250290511994QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250290511994&_trkparms=72%3A984%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
(http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-Way-to-1-Phono-RCA-AV-Audio-Video-Switch-Box-Cable_W0QQitemZ250290511994QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250290511994&_trkparms=72%3A984%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14)
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Two shots of a caterpillar taken today. It was walking along on a windowsill.
Anthony?
Paddy
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Hi Paddy,
I'm not sure but it looks like a caterpillar of Acronicta psi.
But could be also Acronicta cuspis or tridens.
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I would go for Acronicta psi the grey dagger moth. I don't think cuspis in found in the UK and the 'horn' is shorter in tridens.
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Looked over our fence last evening and this gorgeous fellow appeared. Our kind neighbours have been putting out scraps for ages and they get regular (two or three visits per evening) sightings of as many as four individuals. This one wasn't frightened by the camera flash, but disappeared when a large fox arrived to share the spoils.
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ahhhh, one of my favourite mammals
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A remarkable shot Cliff - so that is what the fabulous badger looks like. May be it is common place for you to see these animals. We have a variety of small mammals round here that are without exception not wanted but no badgers. Rabbits, hares stoats ferrets, hedgehogs and of course the ubiquitous Australian possum but no badgers.
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And mine Mark, and mine...!
Thanks David. I am still incredulous that 'people' go out baiting these glorious mammals with dogs and shovels ... and in this neck of the woods and this day and age!
Nowhere else to post this, so will sneak it in here...
Noticed this 'crevice growing' tree on a bridge by the canal in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire ... the more we see of nature, the more our sense of wonder expands.
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We have a variety of small mammals round here that are without exception not wanted but no badgers. Rabbits, hares stoats ferrets, hedgehogs and of course the ubiquitous Australian possum but no badgers.
Surprised that you include Hedgehogs in your list of not wanted mammals. Here they are regarded as friendly to gardens and are encouraged.
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Great shot and great to see. I've only seen one live badger all my life and that's when I thankfully missed it with the car.
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Great shot and great to see. I've only seen one live badger all my life and that's when I thankfully missed it with the car.
Me too, saw a single one for a few seconds! :o In Germany badgers live well hidden deep in the woods.
Gerd
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Badgers are reviled by dairy farmers down here as they are thought to spread TB to dairy herds.
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Cliff that Ash must have been cut off tight against the brick work some time
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This is something that has puzzled me for years. A spider in the greenhouse uses a piece of grit to to hold tension on the web. I have been trying for years to see how it manages to do it, but have never witnessed it making a web. The grit is swinging from the web about 30cm above the bench. it is obviously passing on the tip to its offspring for I am sure the same spider has not survived that long.
I have to show the pics in three parts because it was difficult to photograph close up,and you will have to look closely at the grit to see the string of web.
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A very clever spider!
Paddy
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Michael you will have to watch. Spiders make a new web every night
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I'm not sure if the spider could get the grit up there and attach it deliberately to the web for tension. Isn't it possible that the spider attaches the lower part of the web to a piece of grit on the bench/plunge/top-dressing, as an anchorage point (not realising it's a loose bit of grit) and then as the web strands dry and contract, the grit is lifted into the air?
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The answer must be on the Web...
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It probably is Cliff, but the spider doesn't know how to do the WWW yet
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Martin, it is possible but it never attaches the web to a pot or a plant , always uses grit. Would the web contract that much, 30cm?
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I think it drops down on a line,ties a piece of web round the grit, and then runs back up and pulls up the grit.
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Cliff, that is a frightful joke... :P I must fine you: send chocolate, please ;D
Michael, we have spiders that seem to do this in our greenhouse, too.... like you, I also think they come down, wrap up a stone and then climb back up again. The grit is also usually about 30cms off the pots.
Very clever of them, however they do it, it enables them to have a steady web that is pretty much free-hanging in the middle of the greenhouse, with less anchorage to the roof and very little to the sides..... cunning indeed. 8)
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I think it drops down on a line,ties a piece of web round the grit, and then runs back up and pulls up the grit.
I didn't realise the grit was so high off the nearest surface. You're right, of course 30cm up couldn't be down to web contraction - I thought it was just a few cm up. I guess your idea would work - I hadn't thought of lifting it on threads like a crane! clever wee beastie!
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well, because I only have sand in my green house they dont seem to use it but I will have a closer look tomorrow. I usually just walk in waving my hands in a techno stylee to knock them down.
While talking about webs has anyone seen the size of the webs made by golden orb spiders in South Africa. Gives me the creeps just talking about it.
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Martin do you see the multiple strands radiating out to hold the grit?
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Martin do you see the multiple strands radiating out to hold the grit?
Yes, I can see that now, especially in the last pic. Does indeed look like the wee beastie prepared it for lifting. Amazing.
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ahhh, my second favourite dog. Do you realise how much walking a Weimerana needs? Two people in my town walk theirs by going for a ride on their bicycles at speed without leads! The dogs very gracefully run along side
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I have two Weimeraner's and sleep well every night, three walks a day and I'm knackered. I tried the bike thing will the lead attached to the handle bars but they had very different ideas on which direction we should be going. Mother is getting on a bit at thirteen, and her daughter is six.
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Mark
What's your first favourite dog out of interest?
Dave
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Black Lab
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Anthony, are you training her to catch cats?
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a friend's brother (son of Jim Mcleod of band fame) had a litter of six
;D
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Last weekend we visited the Edersee and saw some vultures:
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Last weekend we visited the Edersee and saw some vultures:
Thomas,
Thrilling pics of a vulture attack! I do hope you wasn't the target? ;D
Gerd
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Hi all ,
here some words to the dogs "Weimaraner"
that really special dogs ( a old race ) they are "Vorstehhunde" ....this means they show the hunter where the birds ( and hare ) sit - thats no "Hetzhunde" ,this dogs are only for hunters - not for normal people !!!
In Germany a serious breeder will give this dogs only to a hunter - they are hardy and they can kill fox, marten and similar - a other good thing is they are well for search blood ( if the animal is away after the shoot )
"Hetzhunde" are Beagles ,Foxhounds .....
Here is a pic of a Vorstehhund:
http://www.sabinemiddelhaufeshundundnatur.net/immagini/hunderassen/weimi/Sinan%20web.jpg
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Thomas
Great shots of the "Griffon vultures" ? I have no idea of where the Edersee is and I am rather surprised that you have vultures in Germany. I always associate them with Spain. They would be a nice addition to the U.K. bird list.
Yesterday I was watching thousands of Manx Shearwaters and a feeding Minke whale. Slightly different from mainland Europen fauna.
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Old photo's I found the other day.
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Oh my word what beautiful puppies.... I see that the first one is showing a good aptitude for retrieving the stuffed rabbit ;)
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Thomas
Great shots of the "Griffon vultures" ? I have no idea of where the Edersee is and I am rather surprised that you have vultures in Germany. I always associate them with Spain.
Tom, the Edersee is a wonderful local recreation area, only 40km North of Neustadt and 40km SW of Kassel.
There are several websites about the area, none of them in English, but Wikipedia has some lines about it.
In the last years more and more Dutch people visit the lake, too - must be for them like the alps for us ;)
There is also a protected natural area around the lake and a wildlife park where trained vultures fly over
the visitors heads ;D ;D
Try a search for "Edersee" on Google Earth!
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Thomas, is this a link to the correct place?
http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=edersee&countryCode=DE#map=51.16579,9.04738|13|32&loc=DE:51.17201:9.05283:14|edersee|Hemfurth-Edersee,%20Edertal
I see an area marked National Park to the left of the lake ???
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Correct Maggi!
I forgot to mention, that it is an artifical lake.
The embankment dam is on the Eastern side of the large lake.
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Thank you, Thomas.... it looks a large park... fascinating that it is an artificial lake ... is it permitted to swim and have boats?
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... is it permitted to swim and have boats?
Both allowed + diving.
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Ah, yes, diving... to escape the vultures, I suppose ::)
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I think the Eder dam was famous for something else?
Anthony - you are right ! ....
but I think only the "older" people will know what you mean ....
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I think the Eder dam was famous for something else?
Anthony - you are right ! ....
but I think only the "older" people will know what you mean ....
Crikey, and to think I thought the biggest danger was from the vultures :-X
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Yes Hans. Not something to be proud of.
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but there is also a other nice story from this area :
in earlier time ( before the second worldwar) have some people the idea to breed there raccoons ...and those animals are really clever .....now since this time we have this animals wild in Germany - mainly in Hessen ;D
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Hans I never knew that the Weimaraner was a pointer.
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Me neither Mark, but I'm beginning to lose the will to live. Perhaps dachshunds should only be owned by people who hunt badgers, border terriers by rat catchers, deer hounds by... I forget. ::)
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Mark , yes Weimaraner ,Deutsch Kurzhaar,Deutsch Langhaar,Münsterländer ,Griffon,Pudelpointer, are all Vorstehhunde
english races are :Setter ( Laverack - Redsetter-Gordonsetter.
french : Epalneul breton
hungarian : Magyar Vizsla
You have to realize - all our races are breed for a target ...not for fun ...only maybe Mops
Dachshounds are breeding to drive away the badgers and foxes from her holes
Terrier are breed for hunt Foxes - Bullterrier to fight with wild boar - and Yorkshire terrier to figth against rats ....
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Images from today ... a fleeting visit to Three Owls Bird Sanctuary in Rochdale ... had to photograph the tiny owls through perspex, plastic mesh and thirty feet of cage ...
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Well, I've never seen so many owls together!
Is that beautiful heron sitting on a piece ofglass.... it is very shiny.... ???
Ooh, no, it is water, I can see his feet in the last pic.... he must be completely still, there is no movement in the water whatsoever! Amazing!
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Hi Maggi,
The heron was lying in partial shade on wet concrete ... I admit it does look like a mirror finish - I might have made a little more use of it at the time if I had realised just how reflective it was.
Those lovely little owls were just a few of the sixty plus individuals in one enormous aviary ... it is hard to believe the numbers of vulnerable or damaged birds that this rescue centre receives each year.
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But as Maggi says, you can see his feet and legs beneath!
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Hi Anne,
I was probably fifteen feet away from the heron (reputedly one of the oldest in the U.K. - having been at the reserve for a considerable time), and from my vantage point it looked like a very shallow pool (6 inches maximum) in a sunken concrete liner. Very typical of aviaries all over the country. Wish I had noticed all this when I took the shots! :)
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Love the owls Cliff. They look like ornaments sitting on a shelf.
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I made some comments about squirrels in Anne's Newtonmore thread. Here are some pictures of red squirrels on my kitchen windowsill and near the back door. The first two are baby squirrels taken last year. They do not usually feed together. There is lots of growling and squealing at times if one does not give way to another higher in the pecking order.
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How wonderful to have the opportunity to view these animals at such close quarters.
Great photos.
Paddy
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Roma I'll swap you 100 Greys for one of your Reds
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Roma, what super photos! Proof indeed of how much more handsome the reds are than the greys. What I see from your photos, which I had not appreciated watching them "live", is just how large their hind feet are....though this is a perfectly logical thing... need big feet for shimming up and down trees, but I have never spotted that before. 8)
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A great variability in tail colour and tuftiness of ears too.
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Cliff,
What species of owls are they? I am guessing there are three species in the assemblage. The little owl (Athene noctua) is reasonablely common around here. It was originally introduced from Europe. The native morepork Ninox novaeseelandiae is also widespread around Dunedin but favours more heavily forested areas. and I have notheard it out here
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While visiting Otto's place, we were observed by the local Kookaburras, one of which obliged us with a short stay at the birdbath for photo opportunities. Lesley has better photos of this I think, as my camera zoom has died unfortunately so I could not frame the picture properly or bring him/her any "closer" for clarity.
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What species of owls are they?
Hi David,
I believe all the owls in that particular aviary were juvenile or adult tawny owls ... other cages held other species.
For more information please see :- http://www.owls.org/Information/uk_owls.htm
Kind regards from East Lancashire.
Cheers,
Cliff
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Keeping on the owl theme, here is a picture of a Morepork taken taken in a Kauri forest north of Auckland some years ago.
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Keep the Owl photographs coming - they are my favourite birds. I have a large collecton of owl memorabilia from all over the world. :) :) :)
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Hi Cliff,
Thanks for the information and web link. I am now much better informed about the owls of Britain. Next time the name Jinny Yewlet comes up I will know to what it refers.
Tom,
A great picture of a morepork. They are elusive little critters and very hard to photograph on the hop. I took a picture of one many years ago by torchlight.
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Have you seen this? Lions v Buffalo v Crocodile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM)
An unbelievable 37 million people have watched this video. Watch it to the end it has a happy ending
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37 million and 1 - amazing!
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Hedgehogs are very welcome at my place David and Arthur. We know they eat slugs and slaters and I like to hear their snufflings about the garden at night.
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I've been spending a lot of time looking at the insects enjoying the flowers in my garden on the few sunny days we've had recently.
Can anyone identify these tiny moths in the Crocus pulchellus?
A Peacock butterfly tucked up for the night. Luckily it didn't rain.
A warm day on Sunday attracted lots of butterflies to Sedum 'Herbstfreude'
A Painted Lady made a rare visit to my garden
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Now, didn't that peacock butterfly choose a very exquisite bed!
Roma, sedums are renowned for their attractiveness to butterflies and pictures such as yours have been commonplace here in previous years but has not occured here once this year.
Paddy
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Images from today ... a fleeting visit to Three Owls Bird Sanctuary in Rochdale ... had to photograph the tiny owls through perspex, plastic mesh and thirty feet of cage ...
Cliff,
this certainly looks like a Parliament of owls!
cheers
fermi
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I don't know about that Fermi ... one or two of them look quite intelligent to me!!! :)
I am really appreciating all your contributions to this wonderful forum, Fermi.
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Isn't it a parliament of rooks?
The wee moths in the crocus flower look like carpet moths (Epirrhoe alternata)?
I find Sedum spectabile better than 'Herbstfreude'. My neighbour has the latter and it rarely has any butterflies on it. Plenty of bumbees. I have the former in it attracts peacocks and small tortoiseshells. That red admiral better get its skates on if it is to head back south again before winter kills it off. ::)
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Isn't it a parliament of rooks?
You left out the initial 'C', Anthony! :)
Glad you are feeling better now...
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Howdy All,
A couple of wildlife pictures from the Australian National Botanic Gardens here in Canberra, taken this week....
The first are a pair of babies in the nest of a Red Wattlebird. Won't be much longer before they're out and about I would hazard. The nest has been built on the main concourse, just above head height, in an Acacia (bright yellow) that has a Hardenbergia (bright purple) climbing through it. The combination is quite stunning, and many people photograph it, never realising there is a nest there in their picture too. ;D
Secondly I have a pic of one of the, what we thought at the time were deserted but they weren't, babies of the Maned Duck (or Wood Duck). Cute little tiny fluffy bundles of squeaking cuteness!! ::) ;)
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ahhhhhh
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Now that is cute ...
(Thinks! - orange sauce) ... sorry!
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Quite a shock to see this enormous gull swoop down and snatch a calf from the meadow ...
I will take the prescribed medicine folks ...
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hmmmm
Paul is your duckling an Australian Wood Duck or the north American Wood duck? - kust wondering
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Thanks for the moth I.D. Anthony. They do look like the ones whose caterpillars were eating the water matting in the greenhouse 2 years ago. Greenfly, whitefly, red spider, vine weevil then maggots eating the water matting. The bugs really had it in for me that year. I was surprised to see so many butterflies on 'Herbstfreude' . I have noticed 'Brilliant' to be popular, but my plant is a bit overgrown by grass this year. Sedum 'Indian Chief is very popular with butterflies and bumble bees.
The red admirals have only appeared in the last 2 or 3 weeks . I remember counting over 25 feeding on ivy flowers the last weekend in October two years ago, when we had a much better summer and a warm spell towards the end of October.
I visited Cambo and Kellie Castle in Fife at the end of August on a very warm, sunny day and was astounded at the numbers of butterflies, particularly on eupatorium and buddleia. At that time I had only seen one small copper and 1 or 2 peacocks in my own garden.
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Mark,
Not sure, I didn't catch their accent! ;)
When I get home from work this evening I'll post a pic of an adult. Commonly called a wood duck here, but technically is the "Maned Duck" I think.
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Thanks for the moth I.D. Anthony. They do look like the ones whose caterpillars were eating the water matting in the greenhouse 2 years ago.
Roma, carpet moths are so called because of the intricate patterns on their wings. Their caterpillars are 'loopers' (family Geometridae) and feed on various trees, shrubs and other plants according to their species.
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It was a nice warm day today with this visiting tui competing for nectar with the resident bellbirds in my garden. It is feeding on Fuchsia excorticata the New Zealand tree fuchsia. As soon as I snapped this picture he was off. He was not easy to photograph as he was weaving through the branches as he was feeding. The bellbird that arrived soon after did not stick around long enough for me to photograph him.
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Nothing very exciting, but Ivi and I were amazed to find this little shrew amongst scree just a couple of hundred feet below the summit of Mt. Snowdon in North Wales last month. Not sure quite how they survive through the year at that altitude.
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Drinking buddies
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This should really be in the weather thread, but since I'm already here posting the pic of the shrew on Snowdon...
It was the first time in many climbs on Snowdon that we found the summit cloudless with stunning views. According to the workmen building the new cafe at the top, they only see a couple of cloud-free days a year!
We were very lucky with the weather for our anniversary weekend trip to North Wales. I was less lucky when I made a stupid mistake on loose rock during our scramble round the Snowdon ridges and dived nose-first down a scree, making a bit of a mess of a knee and both wrists (which is why I haven't been posting for a while).
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Michael! You have a Turtle Dove in your garden!! :o They are very rare over here
Martin that's a mouse in your photo
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Martin that's a mouse in your photo
Ivi and a couple of other people who happened along thought it was a shrew. But you seem to be a wildlife expert, so I'll take your word for it. At a lower altitude and amongst my bulbs, I'd have been setting traps. Couldn't help admiring any small mammal that manages to eke out an existence in those conditions (though it probably lives on bits of climbers' discarded sarnies!)
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Mark.I have 10 collard doves that feed in the garden every day, and in the last two weeks that little turtle dove has come in with them.
I must try and get a better picture of it. That pic was taken through the bedroom window upstairs.
Michael.
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I just reported your Turtle dove to a bird recorder. Dont worry you wont have hordes decending on your garden
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I must have been amazingly fortunate then, in that the one time I climbed Snowdon (1981) the weather and all the day were perfect. With a friend, the locals thought two slightly (!) overweight women shouldn't be attempting such a climb but we pointed out we were New Zealanders and thought that little hill wouldn't be a problem. It wasn't!
Martin I see you and Ivi are suitably dressed for the British summer. :)
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Martin that's a mouse in your photo
Ivi and a couple of other people who happened along thought it was a shrew. But you seem to be a wildlife expert, so I'll take your word for it. At a lower altitude and amongst my bulbs, I'd have been setting traps. Couldn't help admiring any small mammal that manages to eke out an existence in those conditions (though it probably lives on bits of climbers' discarded sarnies!)
Martin, it has visible eyes and large ears so can't be a shrew. http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/forest2/FOLDER01/Shrew.jpg
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Mark,here are a few more pics of the dove that I got this morning, they were taken through a double glazed window so the quality is not good.
Collard doves.
Dispute at the pool.
Dove feeding.
Dove feeding
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Martin, it has visible eyes and large ears so can't be a shrew. http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/forest2/FOLDER01/Shrew.jpg
Thanks, Anthony. I'll show the link to Ivi as I don't think she's actually seen a shrew before, and obviously neither had the passers-by who were watching it as well. Botany is more her forte.
Lesley, I think I actually prefer Snowdon's summit when it's shrouded in cloud with howling winds (it's much more usual state). It's very atmospheric (in every sense of the word) and sometimes quite sinister and even un-nerving at times, especially if you reach the summit late in the day as the light's starting to go and the summit's dark and brooding with swirling darkening clouds and howling winds. Then you have to race back down before dark sets in, getting a hint of what it would be like to have to spend a night on the mountain (something I've always wanted to do and must try one of these days).
For a comparatively small mountain, parts of the Snowdon massive can be quite scary in bad weather and dangerous - two or three lives are lost on it every year, mostly in winter, and the rescue helicopter is a common sight, patrolling the ridges for lost climbers (and sometimes lost soldiers on mountain training!)
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Martin, a shrew is the fiercest animal on earth and can eat its own body weight in one sitting and still be hungry. :o A Californian herpetologist once caught one and put it into a cage with a small rattlesnake. The next day he looked in the cage only to find the shrew desperately looking round the cage for more snakes to eat! I once came across a cat that was playing with a shrew in the gutter not far from my house. Thinking my approach would cause the cat to grab its prey and scarper I approached the pair. The cat did the latter but not the former, leaving the supposedly comatose (!?) shrew at the side of the pavement. I touched it with my foot, it immediately came round and shot up the inside of the leg of my jeans! ??? I had to walk home with this fiercesome beastie roaming round my nether regions in search of a tasty morsel! ::) I stripped off in the snake room and then had to try to catch said shrew. Needless to say it was later released! :-[
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... a shrew is the fiercest animal on earth and can eat its own body weight in one sitting and still be hungry
Anthony ... we must not forget the other dictionary definition of 'a shrew'... :)
shrew
n 1: a scolding nagging bad-tempered woman [syn: termagant]
2: small mouselike mammal with a long snout; related to moles
[syn: shrewmouse]
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This one was definitely not for taming! Even so, I reckon it knew when it had met its match! :o I can still sing bottom C!
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Lesley, I think I actually prefer Snowdon's summit when it's shrouded in cloud with howling winds
But then, you'd have to say that, wouldn't you? :)
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[quote author=Martin Baxendale link=topic=2080.msg56785#msg56785 date=Then you have to race back down before dark sets in, getting a hint of what it would be like to have to spend a night on the mountain (something I've always wanted to do and must try one of these days).[/quote]
You better first discuss this with Modest Mussorgsky!
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I once came across a cat that was playing with a shrew in the gutter not far from my house. Thinking my approach would cause the cat to grab its prey and scarper I approached the pair. The cat did the latter but not the former, leaving the supposedly comatose (!?) shrew at the side of the pavement. I touched it with my foot, it immediately came round and shot up the inside of the leg of my jeans! ??? I had to walk home with this fiercesome beastie roaming round my nether regions in search of a tasty morsel! ::) I stripped off in the snake room and then had to try to catch said shrew. Needless to say it was later released! :-[
Rowan Atkinson could make something of this. ;D
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My pics of Otto's kookaburra aren't better than Paul's (see Reply 145) but perhaps they have a more Maggi-enticing background. It was just a matter of angle. Otto's window was perfectly clean both inside and out but there was a whitish haze which comes through in the pictures.
[attachthumb=1]
[attachthumb=2]
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Lesley,
Otto's windows were TOO clean. They were reflecting the inside room while trying to photograph the outside world. I found that a little with my camera as well, but it was a bit easier as I was facing directly through the window and therefore photographing through my own reflection, which was fairly dark. You were getting the reflections of the kitchen tiles etc. Still better than my pics though. 8)
Anthony,
That has to be the most elaborate story I've ever heard to justify having a small furry animal down your pants!! :o ;) ;D
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Just as well I tell the story of how my snake ended up in Andy Murray's mum's knickers! ::)
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Oh dear!!!?
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Just as well I didn't tell the story of how my snake ended up in Andy Murray's mum's knickers! ::)
That reminds me of a joke I heard the other day:
A woman walked into a pub and asked the barman for a double entendre. So he gave her one.
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;D ;D 8) ;D
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Well, Martin, that beats Judy's unexpected organism!
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Caught in the act.
Here is the spider that is using pieces of grit as ballast for the its web.
1 dropping down into a pot.
2 selecting a piece of grit.
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Well caught, Michael, now we can all see what the little engineer is up to!
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Thanks for these Michael, most people wouldn't believe such a thing was possible, but for the pictures.
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Can't swear to it, but the spider could be Zygiella x-notata?
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Can't swear to it, but the spider could be Zygiella x-notata?
Is this a commonly found spider, Anthony? It seems to be a type we have quite a lot of.
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It is the one that spins an orb web outside every window you have. Easily recognisable as it has a 'slice of the cake' missing with a single thread to its home which is a silken tube.
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I thought Garden Spider Araneus diadematus
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No Mark. That's a very different kettle of fish.
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Did anyone read in todays papers or see on TV a heron that caught a rabbit, drowned it and swallowed it?
DO NOT CLICK IF YOU ARE EASILY SICKENED
http://www.funnychill.com/media/460/Heron_Eats_A_Rabbit/ (http://www.funnychill.com/media/460/Heron_Eats_A_Rabbit/)
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It is the one that spins an orb web outside every window you have. Easily recognisable as it has a 'slice of the cake' missing with a single thread to its home which is a silken tube.
Anthony, is this the one you mean?
I made the pictures in August near the kitchen window.
The one made with flash shows the threads very clear.
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I have a couple of spiders for you too. The first one lives on the back of a garden chair, while the second was found on an old house windowsill.
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Another two spiders. House spiders I think. The largest I've seen! The first was in the house on Saturday. I measured it about 4.5cm from toe to toe. The other of similar size was in my shed last year, but disappeared before I got back with the ruler.
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Another two spiders. House spiders I think. The largest I've seen!
AAAAAAAAGH!!!! I knew I shouldn't have looked!!!
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Anne your long-legged spider is a harvest man
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What's sickening about the heron's eating the rabbit? Sure, it would have been more palatable dipped in a spicy plum sauce, but water's OK.
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Sorry Martin. Didn't mean to frighten you.
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What's sickening about the heron's eating the rabbit? Sure, it would have been more palatable dipped in a spicy plum sauce, but water's OK.
Must be a coincidence, we're having rabbit casserole tomorrow!
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Another two spiders. House spiders I think. The largest I've seen!
AAAAAAAAGH!!!! I knew I shouldn't have looked!!!
Me too! :-X
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Must be a coincidence, we're having rabbit casserole tomorrow!
Managed to wrest it from the heron at the last moment, did you, David? :P
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A Heron is normally a pescatarian. On Youtube there are many videos of animals eating what they normally wouldnt such as a pelican catching and eating a pigeon
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Enjoy your casserole David. Red wine is a good addition.
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On Youtube there are many videos of animals eating what they normally wouldn't
Oh, crikey, that worries me a bit about the upcoming Discussion weekend.............. ::) :o ;) ;) ;D
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It is the one that spins an orb web outside every window you have. Easily recognisable as it has a 'slice of the cake' missing with a single thread to its home which is a silken tube.
Anthony, is this the one you mean?
I made the pictures in August near the kitchen window.
The one made with flash shows the threads very clear.
Nope. That's diadematus. My honors project involved collecting and identifying over 6000 spiders, so they appear in my dreams now! If you have an orb spider or 12 on every window it won't be that one it will be Zygiella x-notatus.
Anne, there are at least two species of house spider in the UK that reach 12 cm+ leg span. :o One was spotted crossing London Bridge (the one sold to the Americans who thought they were buying Tower Bridge) by a policeman, who held up the traffic to let it cross. 8) Its common name is 'Cardinal spider' as Cardinal Wolseley was afraid of them. ::)
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Anthony,
Glad they appear in your dreams.... they'd appear in my nightmares!!!!! :o Cardinal Wolseley sounds like a very sensible man!! ;D
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Henry VIII didn't think so Paul. ;D
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Think you chaps will find the unhappy Cardinal's name was WOLSEY ::)
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Enjoy your casserole David. Red wine is a good addition.
It was very good Lesley. I got two bottles of Red out, one a Tesco cheapy to go in the casserole and one good one to go with the meal. Of course I didn't supervise the culinary process and the good one went in the casserole by mistake. Still, we enjoyed it, and the heron did too! Feel quite mellow really. ;D
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Think you chaps will find the unhappy Cardinal's name was WOLSEY ::)
Oops. :-[ That must have been after Henry VIII had someone chop bits off him Maggi? ;D
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Think you chaps will find the unhappy Cardinal's name was WOLSEY ::)
Oops. :-[ That must have been after Henry VIII had someone chop bits off him Maggi? ;D
I think you are mixing up your Thomases Anthony. Wolsey died at Leicester Abbey in November 1530 whilst on his way from Cawood in Yorkshire to the Tower of London to answer a charge of high treason. As far as I'm aware he had the full quota of limbs. Now Thomas a Beckett.............!!
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I came across this juvenile Gannet sitting on the beach, obviously fed up with the gales and rain we have been experiencing today. You can still seee the vestiges of the down on its head. If it can get back out to sea, it has a good chance of surviving. If not..............
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Tom do you think the young gannet may be blind? His eye looks very cloudy...it may just be the third eyelid ( I think birds have those?? ??? ) but it looks strangely opaque :-\
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Think you chaps will find the unhappy Cardinal's name was WOLSEY ::)
Oops. :-[ That must have been after Henry VIII had someone chop bits off him Maggi? ;D
I think you are mixing up your Thomases Anthony. Wolsey died at Leicester Abbey in November 1530 whilst on his way from Cawood in Yorkshire to the Tower of London to answer a charge of high treason. As far as I'm aware he had the full quota of limbs. Now Thomas a Beckett.............!!
Ah yes - who will rid me of this meddlesome priest? - Henry II Not doing very well am I? :-\
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I thought this myself but they do have a nictating membrane to protect them from salt water. It was aware of my presence but it was pointing into a gale so maybe it was just protecting its eyes. The Gannet colony at Ailsa Craig is only about 15 miles from where I took this picture today. This is the third young Gannet I have seen inshore in the past week.
The parent birds abandon them in the nest and starvation forces the young birds to jump into the sea. At this stage they are too heavy to fly so they must survive on their fat reserves until they can get airborne and then start fishing. It is a finely judged affair. If we get rough seas and gales then the young birds get weakened and blown ashore where they can die of starvation. Nature is a hard task master.
Here is a close up shot of the bird's head. If it was a human, you would say it had cataracts.
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It was very good Lesley. I got two bottles of Red out, one a Tesco cheapy to go in the casserole and one good one to go with the meal. Of course I didn't supervise the culinary process and the good one went in the casserole by mistake. Still, we enjoyed it, and the heron did too! Feel quite mellow really. ;D
David,
never cook with a wine you wouldn't be bothered drinking!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi, my problem is I rarely find a wine that is not worth drinking! ;D
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Howdy All,
Some pictures taken this afternoon. The Maned Ducks are what produced those lovely little ducklings I posted a pic of a week or so ago (Sorry Mark, just realised I never did end up posting a pic of the parent as I have promised. I have a good closeup shot if you're still interested?). Despite the fact that at least one kept hiding, there were 9 ducklings in this family.
These black swans with 5 cygnets were beside the road as we left a nursery late today. Dreadful light, otherwise they could have been really stunning pictures. Despite being "wild" they were so used to people that I actually hand fed one of them at one point. Even the cygnets were in arms reach of me. Then again, at Floriade the other day people were hand feeding a pair of swans and cygnets. Got some good pictures then too. Don't want to bore you with more swan and cygnet pics though, as I figure this is enough. ::)
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Howdy All,
A picture taken the other day in the Tasmanian section of the Australian National Botanic Gardens (on the rocks around the bottom pond). There are quite a few Eastern Water Dragons sunning themselves in this picture, in fact there are at least 26. I've made this a bit larger than usual, so you have a better chance of seeing them. Some are 3/4 hidden behind others, but I always try to count heads to work out what is where. Sometimes the heads are hidden and you can only see the tail etc, but generally the heads are the easiest way to find them.
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Paul,
a interesting lot of Eastern Water Dragons.
What do they usually eat?
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Predominantly insects as far as I know, although I would imagine that would extend to some of the water life. Unsure whether they go for frogs or not. Nothing particularly large as far as I know. Given how many Eastern Banjo Frogs (common name is "Pobblebonks") there are in the area they don't go after the larger frogs at the very least. We've lost no small children either. ;) ;D
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Thanks, Paul.
Cute Dragons ;D
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Michael is your Turtle Dove away yet? Do you know they are migratory?
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Mark, It was here on Saturday, but not yesterday or today.
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Here is a silkmoth that emerged in my study from second generation cocoons I reared earlier this summer. It is a male Antheraea caypta from China.
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looks unreal, Anthony. You say second generation. How do you breed them and what do they eat
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Anthony, what a handsome moth..... approximate wingspan, please?
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A Blackbird having a bath.
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He's enjoying that, Michael.... very swanky bath it is too... pond with water lilies, eh? Surprised to see open flowers still on your water lily.... how nice!
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Michael do you know the plant the bird is standing on is considered an invasive species in Ireland. It's New Zealand Pigmy Weed aka Australian Swamp Stonecrop Crassula helmsii. It was first found in the wild in Gosford Forest Park Co. Armagh. Have you seen the book "Field Guide to Invasive Species in Ireland"? I have a spare copy.
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Its OK Mark, it can't escape and it is doing a good job keeping the pool shaded in the summertime. if I remove any bits I make sure that they are well dried out and then compost them.
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That's good to know.
Are you going to the discussion weekend?
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No Mark, I am going to Israel at that time for ten days and will not be home until the 21st, the day the discussion weekend starts. I will be too tired to drive 200 miles after my trip.
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looks unreal, Anthony. You say second generation. How do you breed them and what do they eat
Larvae (caterpillars) feed on oak, Quercus spp.(Q.petraea here). The moths don't feed and mate easily in a cardboard box or net cage. Caterpillars were kept in plastic boxes.
Anthony, what a handsome moth..... approximate wingspan, please?
Moth is about 5" from wingtip to wingtip.
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It's New Zealand Pigmy Weed aka Australian Swamp Stonecrop Crassula helmsii.
I've never heard of such a plant
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It's New Zealand Pigmy Weed aka Australian Swamp Stonecrop Crassula helmsii.
Yes Lesley, its one of ours. You need to spend more time whitebaiting.
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Here are some birds in the park near a playground we visits.
It is close to Estufa fria (cold greenhouse) for anyone visiting Lisbon. The ducks are maybe not worth the visit but Estufa fria is.
There are some geese mostly gray with a bit of white and with brown eyes but there are also some much whiter with blue eyes both of the same size.
I do not know if the latter is a hybrid with the white duck also with blue eyes. (sorry for that bad picture).
There was also a peacock, female I think so maybe peahen?
The last one is what I would believe to be Myskduck with a direct translation from Swedish.
If anyone has some better names for these please let me know.
Kind regards
Joakim
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Joakim the last is a very clean female Muscovy duck. Soon they will be added to the British Breeding list
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An Eastern Spinebill (tiny honeyeater, sort of our equivalent of a hummingbird) apparently sunning itself, or else trying to bake to death some lice or something. Poor quality picture as it was at a distance, but given they normally never stay still at all I'm pretty pleased to even have this picture. :D
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Today we accompanied the East Yorkshire bat group on one of their regular bat box monitoring visits to a local wood. Here are a couple of the characters we were delighted to see. First photo shows the intrepid hunter. Then there is a sleepy common pipistrelle. Then my first brown long-eared bat: looking cute, looking fierce - only joking!
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You'd think the ring would hamper such a tiny animal, but the ones with rings all were sharing a box with a memberof the opposite sex, and it's the mating season, so maybe they think it's sexy!
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They look so very small and squashable Anne. I expect you have to handle them very carefully? And do their little hang-on claws hurt when they hang on to your fingers?
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Who IDd the pip? It looks like a Nathusius'
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Bat group leaders. It would have been IDd when it was ringed.
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It looks too big to be a 45 or 55 pip
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Probably an illusion. It was very tiddly - same size as other pips I've seen.
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Mark, the dove is definitely gone, has not been here in over a week, and to ensure that you get a decent nights sleep, I removed the weed from the pond and destroyed it.
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well, you've actually done your bit for Ireland's water ecosystems
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Caught in the act.
Here is the spider that is using pieces of grit as ballast for the its web.
1 dropping down into a pot.
2 selecting a piece of grit.
Not just grit Michael ...
This one is a flower arranger ...
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This one has hoisted a piece of dead stem to form a horizontal beam - you can just see the web I hope, and the beastie responsible, doesn't look big enough does he/she? And yes I know I should clean the glass...
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On the day we went bat monitoring, I also saw this fungus on a dead tree. It looked surprisingly like someone had been depositing their chewing gum daily for a couple of weeks! :P
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I'm heartened to see your glass house is as grubby as ours, Anne,and that is a strong spider you have there, but I think you are having us on with that so-called fungus !! ::)
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could the lower right one be an albino bat?!
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Anne are you sure someone HADN'T been depositing their gum for a couple of weeks? :-\
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Someone having a joke? A real fun guy perhaps?
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Cranes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Like in 2007 (see Wildlife Autumn 2007, Oct 16th) I visited coastal Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for watching resting cranes. There is an information center at Groß Mohrdorf, which is situated nw of Stralsund. There are some places near the center where the birds were feeded in order to deflect them from fields with crops in the region.
Here the cranes can be watched easily. During the time of my visit 50.000 birds were counted but it was stated that there was a drop because of excessive disturbances by tourists.
1. an opportunity to take a close shot - a puppet showing the arrangement of different coloured rings for identification
2. the second opportunity ;)
3. + 4. migration route and observation point
5. - 10. cranes and landscape around
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Beautiful images Gerd - many thanks for posting!
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There is a reintroduction programme in the UK for these beautiful birds
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A beautiful area Gerd, beautifully photographed. What magnificent birds!
The puppet bird should be introduced to the Travel Giraffe. Where is he, by the way?
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My mother told me that there used be cranes in Ireland around 1953. At least one visited the country in that year and deposit a beautiful baby under the cabbage plants at the bottom of our garden. Apparently, a race ensued between my mother and the lady next door but she tripped coming over the fence and my mother won the race and so I was raised as her son.
Obviously, they are birds of exquisite taste.
Paddy
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Paddy,
So you are some kind of a flightless bird like some species in NZ?
Please ask your mother to tell you the true story of your origin!
Normally this is done when a child is about 6 years old. ;D ;D ;D
Gerd
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My mother told me that there used be cranes in Ireland around 1953. At least one visited the country in that year and deposit a beautiful baby under the cabbage plants at the bottom of our garden. Apparently, a race ensued between my mother and the lady next door but she tripped coming over the fence and my mother won the race and so I was raised as her son.
Obviously, they are birds of exquisite taste.
Paddy
I think that same stork must have dropped me off on the way to you Paddy. ;D
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Ruddy typical ... trust me to get the cuckoo!!! ??? ;D
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Just found some interesting old papers relating to Stork exploitation in the fifties......seems that numbers were gravely depleted from stress of extra work involved in delivery of so many babies..........oops! That would be our fault, then :-[ And here we are ,all these years later... all members of the SRGC and discussing stork numbers.... funny old world, ain't it? ;)
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I was born two weeks late and my Dad's mates gave him a card with a picture of Dad scanning the skies and saying "Where's that damned stork?"
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Can anyone tell me why House Sparrows leave my garden in October and do not return until March? ( they did the same last year) I was using between 8 and 10 kilos of seed per week, when they up and left. Now I only use between 3 and 4 kilos of seed for the Blue tits and Chaffinches. Have they gone to eat wild flower seed, or is some of the Neighbours feeding them nicer food than me?.
I had about 50 visiting the garden every day.
Cheers
Michael
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That is a good number considering their numbers are plummeting.
What usually happenes is they go in summer and come back now. They go to feed in grain fields. My guess is yours have moved to be closer to their winter roost which will be an ever green hedge or conifer plantation
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Our house sparrow numbers have been very low this year and for the last few weeks there haven't been any. They always go out to stock up on the natural foods in the fields at this time of year, but, with so few during the summer, I'm wondering how many will come back.
Plenty flocks of mixed tits about, Coal, Blue and Great and they are having a grand time playing and eating in the garden.
Have seen a couple of small flocks of migratory thrushes.. probably Redwings in the area and last week friends a couple of hundred yards down the road had a great spotted woodpecker.... very jealous of that! Nearest ones I know of are a half mile or so away in garden of Brian and Maureen Wilson.
Our Blackbirds go away at this time of year ,too.
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I would expect the thrush family to go away to take advantage of nature's harvest
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Gerd,
It is an Irish tradition to never allow the facts get in the way of a good story.
Paddy
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Gerd,
It is an Irish tradition to never allow the facts get in the way of a good story.
Paddy
Bit like the average government, too, eh, Paddy? :o ;)
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You all know Autumnwatch starts again tonight? Right now!?
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That is a good number considering their numbers are plummeting.
Mark, there were none at all here for about four years ,then three years ago a few started visiting the garden, I fed them well and put up some nest boxes. They have increased to about fifty now,with lots of young this year.
There was just two in the garden today.
Cheers
Michael.
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You all know Autumnwatch starts again tonight? Right now!?
Already watching it with the kids, Mark, as I type.
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Michael I used to feed the sparrows and collared doves also but there are so many starlings here 100s would arrive for the seeds so I stopped. I see someone is feeding the sparrows at their night roost with parakeet seed mix
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Mark,I use the seed feeders without the perches so the Starlings can't hold on to get at the seed,anything that falls to the ground is quickly picked up by the Collard Doves. The Starlings haven't a chance.
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I was speaking to Roy Sexton at a Butterfly Conservation meeting on Saturday. He says he has Nuthatches in his garden! That's 4 miles down the road in Bridge of Allan! I have not heard of them in Scotland before, but that may be my fault?
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I was speaking to Roy Sexton at a Butterfly Conservation meeting on Saturday. He says he has Nuthatches in his garden! That's 4 miles down the road in Bridge of Allan! I have not heard of them in Scotland before, but that may be my fault?
What fun! Haven't seen 'em myself, though knew someone who THOUGHT they'd seen one in Scotland..... fab little birds, would be a delight to have them colonise, eh?
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Hadn't realised that Nuthatches are rare in Scotland. I wonder what it is that limits them?. I live near the northern limit of the, in Norwegian, Spettmeis' (literally woodpecker-tit) distribution, but they are much more common than they used to be and are spreading Northward and we had a breeding pair in our garden for the first time this year. The distribution of the Nuthatch coincides nicely with the distribution of Hazel (Corylus avellana) which is found near the coast to about 65 deg. N (we have wild Hazel in our garden and have always had overwintering birds but never breeding). Planting a Hazel in the garden certainly increases your chances of attracting a Nuthatch. Here Hazel also attracts Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Red Squirrels and Siberian Nutcrackers. The latter was formerly an invasive species here occurring in large numbers only when the Pinus cembra failed to produce in the east. However, Pinus cembra had been much planted in this area over the last 50-years or so and Siberian Nutcrackers have now colonized following a large invasion in 1995 and are now quite common. They are also partial to a Hazelnut or two. They can currently be seen systematically collecting nuts from areas of planted Pinus cembra in the city of Trondheim and there’s a shuttle traffic up to the forest above the town where the birds hoard the nuts for the winter. Fascinating and beautiful bird (sorry, no pictures as they are a bit shy). Perhaps it will eventually find Scotland? Perhaps I should start up a Siberian Nutcracker safari business?
Back to the Nuthatch, as far as I remember, Hazel is found throughout Scotland, so what is it that has limited its spread?
Incidentally, a new web portal for biological information started up this year here and this is the map of observations of the Nuthatch so far this year.
http://artsobservasjoner.no/fugler/uttag_karta.asp?art=710&art_leaf=False&fromyear=2008&tomyear=2008 (http://artsobservasjoner.no/fugler/uttag_karta.asp?art=710&art_leaf=False&fromyear=2008&tomyear=2008)
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Back to the Nuthatch, as far as I remember, Hazel is found throughout Scotland, so what is it that has limited its spread?
Could they be the secret (but essential) ingredient of haggis?
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My RSPB bird book of 1998 states that it has yet to reach Scotland, so couldn't possibly be an ingredient in haggis. Also, haggis are vegetarian and may eat hazel nuts.? ::)
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That is why the ingredient HAD to remain secret, Anthony ... they were imported from England and force-fed to the poor wee creatures ... imagine the uproar if this had ever got out?
As a matter of interest, the pipes were invented to conceal the screams of the timorous beasties ... and scotch was used as an anaesthetic.
We were told all this in our history lessons ... so it must be true ...
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... and scotch was used as an anaesthetic.
Oops, Sorry ... whiskey!
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Did no one tell you that history is a thing of the past Cliff? ;D I did meet a Londoner in Callander once who asked where he could find pipers? I suggested he head to Princes Street in Edinburgh as there was usually one playing near the Scott memorial. "No he said! Newspipers!" ::)
... and scotch was used as an anaesthetic.
Oops, Sorry ... whiskey!
Wash your mouth out! It's WHISKY! :P
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He probably meant the Daily Bugle, Anthony.
I suppose I meant that whisky with 'E' numbers added ... sends people loopy, I believe! :D
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I almost suggested that it was probably that haggis and nuthatches occupied the same ecological niche, but I decided not to lower the conversation to that level. Ah well, it's happened anyway....
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Michael starlings are more than capable of hanging on nut feeders as are robins, chaffinches, jackdaws. For those out of the UK and Ireland I'll add botanical names later. I know it's not a botanical name I mean but what is the word?
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I took this today. Anyone want one or ten?
The males are darkest and the females are 'brown' tinged.
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Actually, the brown birds are juveniles. Adult Starlings look the same. Male Blackbirds are black and the females are brown.
The Nuthatch was first recorded as breeding in the Borders of Scotland in 1989. From there they have colonised the South of Scotland and moved into Ayrshire in about 2000. Birds have been seen as far as Argyll and Perthshire. The increase in populations in England, probably due to bird feeders and mild winters, has meant a Northwards expansion. The parent birds will not tolerate the juvenile birds in their territory and chase them out. Any parent of teenage children can sympathise with this action!!
The Nutcracker has only turned up in Scotland 3 times. The last time was in 1968 when there was an irruption westwards from the continent. England has had about 400 records. This would indicate that the birds do not like a long sea crossing and probably arrive over the channel
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Tom starlings when in full colour ie through the immature moult are easily sexed even when alone. In the winter the male is the blackest, yes I know they are iridescent, bird while she has brownish over tones. His spots are long and narrow while her's are round. In the summer he is almost spotless with a pink base to the bill while she retains spots and has a pink base to the bill
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Mark -My apologies. I misread your posting. I thought it said females are brown instead of " brown tinged". I have developed a serious problem with my eyes recently which makes me frequently miss out words in sentences which obviously alters my perception of what was meant. My reply was too simplistic.
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I changed the wording after you replied for it to read better
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Here in NZ at present, we have an invasion - probably short-term - of the Russian Nutcracker, courtesy the Bolshoi Ballet. :)
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Michael starlings are more than capable of hanging on nut feeders as are robins, chaffinches, jackdaws. For those out of the UK and Ireland I'll add botanical names later. I know it's not a botanical name I mean but what is the word?
Scientific names? Specific names? Latin names? Take your pick.
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Actually, the brown birds are juveniles. Adult Starlings look the same. Male Blackbirds are black and the females are brown.
The Nuthatch was first recorded as breeding in the Borders of Scotland in 1989. From there they have colonised the South of Scotland and moved into Ayrshire in about 2000. Birds have been seen as far as Argyll and Perthshire. The increase in populations in England, probably due to bird feeders and mild winters, has meant a Northwards expansion. The parent birds will not tolerate the juvenile birds in their territory and chase them out. Any parent of teenage children can sympathise with this action!!
The Nutcracker has only turned up in Scotland 3 times. The last time was in 1968 when there was an irruption westwards from the continent. England has had about 400 records. This would indicate that the birds do not like a long sea crossing and probably arrive over the channel
Tom. That is exactly what I was fishing for. Fantastic. Thanks. Global warming maybe a dark cloud, but it does have the occasional silver lining. :)
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I forgot! I was going to say scientific names.
Tom here's a few more of our birds with identical sexes that can be sexed
Goldfinch - the male is larger and his red face extends to at least half way behind the eye. His beak is longer, narrower and in the summer 'clean'. Her beak remains dirty.
Magpie - the male is larger with a much longer tail
Rook - he's larger but best seen when the pair are side by side
Robin - One has a round head while the other has a flatter head. Cant remember just now which way round.
Next time you are out for a walk have a try. Maybe this is a good challenge for our forum bird photographers like John Forrest
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a few things I saw in Turkey.
I have identified the tortoise as a tortoise and two others as fungus,the limit of my knowledge in those areas. I think the parasite may be a dodder a guess thinking back to biology classes in 1964 and it was in fruit
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Yes ... I agree totally Tony! A tortoise, two fungi and a dodder! :D
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Tony,
Super pics from Turkey - a confirmation - the last pic is a Cuscuta species or dodder, in German ' Teufelszwirn ' = devils yarn
Gerd
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Yes ... I agree totally Tony! A tortoise, two fungi and a dodder! :D
Greek Tony?
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Yes ... I agree totally Tony! A tortoise, two fungi and a dodder! :D
Greek Tony?
Anthony
thats too deep for somebody whose a dodder himself and who has been decorating all day.
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thats too deep for somebody whose a dodder himself and who has been decorating all day.
...And you are a lodder modder dodder than me Tony!
From Anthony Darby:
Greek Tony?
Isn't Greek Tony a restaurant owner from Soho?
Don't know why my message has appeared in quotes as well? Must be getting old!
you just needed a little hallowe'en magic, Cliff!! M :-*
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Anthony is making puns with Greek Tortoises... which I suppose is better than making a casserole..... theory seems to be that the Turkish tortoise is, in fact, a species of the Greek Tortoise...Testudo graeca but, I expect, since it is in Turkey, then it may be a T. graeca anamurensis..... I think we may need 'Biodiversite', a Forumist who specialises in these creatures, to give us a more considered opinion! :-\ ;D
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Sorry a bit slow today.
After previous discussions on tortoise species I kept well clear of giving it a name.
Having seen lots in the wild I view them like I view snowdrops which are white with bits of green or in the case of tortoises brown shells with four legs and a head sticking out. As I am posting in wildlife I should say many of the occupants of the Thomas Cook flight I took had a lot of strange characteristics which seemed to separate many of them into a different species from the human race.
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Maggi, you're on fire today and deserve a pat on the back. 8)
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Anthony
on a serious note it was a beauty about a foot long and very heavy,clearly well built up for the winter.
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Maggi, you're on fire today and deserve a pat on the back. 8)
Thanks, Anthony, having a little problem with chocolate melting in the flames, though.... :-\
Tony Willis: I should say many of the occupants of the Thomas Cook flight I took had a lot of strange characteristics which seemed to separate many of them into a different species from the human race.
That I can believe........having seen some of the apparitions spilling of holiday flights returning to Aberdeen airport! ;)
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That is a good number [of house sparrows] considering their numbers are plummeting.
I'm sure we could spare you a few million if you'd like to zip over to Australia with a large net ;D.
They and a lot of other intoduced birds are considered vermin because of their effect on the native bird species.
I know Lesley and Susan feel the same about Aussie birds like magpies which have taken up residence across the puddle.
Maggi, you're on fire today and deserve a pat on the back. 8)
I hope you're not intending to take up the study of cows' hind legs![apologies to Ron B and Ron C]
cheers
fermi
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Perishing cold today, but ventured out to do a little planting and discovered three hedgehog nests so far. I felt like joining them !
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Actually Fermi, I don't know that we think of the Oz magpies as vermin yet, well perhaps a few sheep farmers do as they (the maggies) are sometimes known to attack newborn lambs before they get to their feet, but generally, I find them attractive and like many of the crow family, wonderful mimics. So far as sparrows are concerned, they are very rare around here now. We honestly have more of both our native bellbirds and tuis both of whom are very agressive to smaller species. We have more red polls, chaffinches, dunnocks and gold finches than we do sparrows.
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Nice but not a member of the crow family. I'll do some homework on them later
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The Australian magpie that we have here, is Gymnorhina tibicen, and related to butcherbirds and currawongs. Not sure whether this means it belongs to the crow family or not, but its shape, head and beak and stance, and method of walking are very like members of the crow family.
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RSPB states:-
Latin name
Pica pica
Family
Crows and allies (Corvidae)
Overview
Magpies seem to be jacks of all trades - scavengers, predators and pest-destroyers, their challenging, almost arrogant attitude has won them few friends. With its noisy chattering, black-and-white plumage and long tail, there is nothing else quite like the magpie in the UK. When seen close-up its black plumage takes on an altogether more colourful hue with a purplish-blue iridescent sheen to the wing feathers, and a green gloss to the tail. Non-breeding birds will gather together in flocks.
Where to see them
Found across England, Wales and N Ireland, but more localised in Scotland, absent from the Highlands. Seen in a range of habitats from lowland farmland to upland moors.
When to see them
All year round.
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The only crows in New Zealand were the Chatham Island and New Zealand Ravens. They are now extinct
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This little chap is quite a celebrity, and he doesn't want to get out of here (corny reference to a terrible TV show on at present). This brown long-eared bat has been coming to this crevice to hibernate for a number of years. Some other holes contain Natterer's bats and who knows what else (well the local bat group I suppose). Several Herald moths are using the same site.
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Herald moths are easy pickings when the bat wakes up. Where were you?
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Not far from where I live, I will email you privately.
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RSPB states:-
Latin name
Pica pica
Family
Crows and allies (Corvidae)
Overview
Magpies seem to be jacks of all trades - scavengers, predators and pest-destroyers, their challenging, almost arrogant attitude has won them few friends. With its noisy chattering, black-and-white plumage and long tail, there is nothing else quite like the magpie in the UK. When seen close-up its black plumage takes on an altogether more colourful hue with a purplish-blue iridescent sheen to the wing feathers, and a green gloss to the tail. Non-breeding birds will gather together in flocks.
Where to see them
Found across England, Wales and N Ireland, but more localised in Scotland, absent from the Highlands. Seen in a range of habitats from lowland farmland to upland moors.
When to see them
All year round.
Very common here in Dunblane. Usually 'bringing joy', but sometimes I get further into the rhyme. Their nests are everywhere. A neighbour across the road had one in a cyprus tree so they had the top 2 metres chopped off, including the nest. :(
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The Australian magpie is described as "crow-like." It belongs to the Artamidae family.
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I have a hibernating bat in my Schwegler tit box. It was found in someones kitchen a couple of weeks ago. When I opened the box I didnt expect to find it on the removable front. The last time I had a sneaky peek it was on the back. This is Leisler's bat that is I think the second or third largest bat in the UK
http://www.bats.org.uk/publications_download.php/218/leislers.pdf (http://www.bats.org.uk/publications_download.php/218/leislers.pdf)
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Bless that bat, what a furry chap... great to see these pictures .....
we had a neighbour with hair like that but he doesn't wear it anymore :P ;)
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It's amazing that they can survive through the winter with so little protection, isn't it?
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It really is, Anne.... I am utterly amazed at the capacity of tiny creatures like the bats and wee birds to survive the weather they face.........of course, there will be losses but I find it extraordinary that anything a little as a goldcrest or pipistrelle can survive ANY cold..... wonderful little critters.... makes my whinging about the heat in here look more than a bit pathetic :-[ ???
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A bat puts on a third, I think, of it's body weight as fat to survive the winter. The Goldcrest must eat all day every day from now to spring to survive
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Yep. The bat lowers its body temperature and heart rate too, whereas the goldcrest remains at 41oC.
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yes. Maybe one breath a minute and a couple of heart beats
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Quivering with excitement here. Large numbers of waxwings have spread from the east and can now be found in the eastern half of N Ireland. 94 were in a tree in the grounds of Lagan Valley Hospital in Lisburn. A flock was in my town but when I went for a look they were gone :(
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Howdy All,
A couple of southern hemisphere members of the wildlife brigade, photographed at the Australian National Botanic Gardens recently....
[attachthumb=1]
The "White Winged Choughs" that I posted a pic of a while back are a very social bird, staying together in extended families. Here's a group of them sunning themselves, very neatly showing the white within the wing feathers. When walking around they appear all black unless their wings are stretched out or in flight.
[attachthumb=2]
[attachthumb=3]
A brood of babies with their "Maned Duck" parents. They seem to be taken on a long trek within a couple of days of hatching. These travelled hundreds of metres that I know of, and I didn't see where they actually started so it may have been much longer. I posted pics a while back of a few closeups of some of their little relatives.
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I have just been listening to a rather disturbing discussion on the demise of bat colonies in the northeast of the USA.
The programme Quirks and Quarks can be heard again on CBC Radio 1 Monday evening.
There is a precis at the following site:
http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/08-09/qq-2008-12-06.html (http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/08-09/qq-2008-12-06.html)
The cause of death is a now-identified fungus, possibly introduced by world-wide spelunking.
The news on the plight of wildlife continues to worsen by the day.
johnw - down to -5c last night and bare ground
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The cause of death is a now-identified fungus, possibly introduced by world-wide spelunking.
It has long been my opinion that only a fool goes poking about in caves or potholes for fun and if this research into the cause of this bat-killing fungus is correct, then it proves I was right all along..... leave those places well alone and leave those critters be to live their own lives in peace. :P
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Maggi It's not caused by people. For some reason the fungus is going for the bats nose and mouth hence 'white nose'
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Mark - The experts intimated the fungus is a cold-loving one which unfortunately loves the same conditions that bats do in hibernation. It's a soil borne fungus not indigenous to these parts and they presumed it may have travelled on footwear. Have you heard anything definitive to the contrary?
johnw
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I hadnt heard it may be transferred by footwear. The decline is terrible and because bats have only one pup a year it will take bat populations a very long time to recover. I hope a total ban on entry in to hibernating caves is in place
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I hadnt heard it may be transferred by footwear. The decline is terrible and because bats have only one pup a year it will take bat populations a very long time to recover. I hope a total ban on entry in to hibernating caves is in place
I certainly hope so but that would be very difficult to enforce. While I was out of earshot I believe they said there was an outbreak in Antarctica (or was it the Arctic) affecting birds (?).
johnw
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I spotted this little chap on the inside wall of the Bali Hotel in Tiberias in Galilee. ID please,Anthony
Sorry for the quality but I did not bring my good camera, this was taken with a cheap digital point and shoot.
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Some pics taken at the Blue Beach Restaurant on the shore of the sea of Galilee.
These pics were taken with a cheap Digital Camera through twill-weld wire mesh and the quality reflects this.
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Second batch
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Some colourful chaps there, Michael. Nice shots. Was the rest of the visit as colourful? Looking forward to some more.
I had a first sighting of a bird in my garden today, a treecreeper which I have only ever seen in our local park up to now. On the other hand we have, at present, flocks of redwings and fieldfares along with a significant increase in numbers of mistle thrushes.
On the subject of birds and of particular relevance to Mark Smyth, there was an interesting item on our evening television news last week showing the vast flocks of starlings over Belfast as they gathered for the evening roost under one of the city's bridges.
Paddy
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Lovely to see those colourful birds, Michael... I was expecting some of them to be larger than they actually are when I see them right next to the budgerigar.... smart little chaps!
Paddy, you make us very envious, we hardly see a single song thrush these days... to see flocks of mistle thrushes would be a real treat. :D
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A few more.
Sleeping peacefully on the shore of the sea of Galilee
Fish in the River Jordan
Birds fighting for scraps of bread on the sea of Galilee
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Paddy the starlings in Belfast a declining especially after the millenium when fireworks were set off outside the night roost - Queen's Bridge. There were 10s of 1000s roosted under the bridge. They flew out panicking hitting people and flying off. They abandoned the roost and moved to the next bridge up stream. The city council should have used the spectacle as a city attraction instead of destroying it.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1130/9news_av.html?2456390,null,230 (http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1130/9news_av.html?2456390,null,230)
The news item on the birds is on the right hand menu
Pay close attention because I will ask a question later
Michaels photos show
a ?geckko
Carolina wood duck
Ring-neck/Rose-ring parakeet
Fischers lovebird
Cocatiel with white wing bar
Golden Pheasant
blue Ring-neck parakeet
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Our spectacle is nothing compared to the starlings i saw in Aberdeen a few years ago
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Hi Michael,
Hope you had a nice trip!
The lizard in your photos is Hemidactylus turcicus, very common here.
Here is a little friend from my garden:
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Obviously keeping an eye on you, Miriam!
Paddy
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The little lizards are charming companions..... wonderful how many insects they eat.... but I think Miriam's green friend can eat even more.... what a handsome creature he is!
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I promised Mark some pics from India.
What's that on top of the building?
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Is it a bird, is it a plane, is it...no, it's a bird.
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About the only birdlife I was able to photograph while we were in India, this parrot and its kin were found around the Qatab Minar in Delhi.
cheers
fermi
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Ringnecks are a cool Bird, Fermi. Interesting to see them in the wild. Lots of perches for them at that place by the look of it. ;D
I'll add another parrot here, photographed recently. This is a King Parrot, for those that don't know it. One of the larger Australian "Parrot" species (not including the Cockatoos).
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Great to see Ring-necks nesting in the wild.
Paul, I think and could be wrong, King parrots are among the few parrots that have different coloured sexes
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There is no need to go to India in order to watch ringnecked parakeets (Psittacula krameri) in ' the wild '. They are found naturalized in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen as well as in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK (London, Surrey, Berkshire).
On rare occasions small flocks visit my hometown.
Gerd
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Great to see Ring-necks nesting in the wild.
Paul, I think and could be wrong, King parrots are among the few parrots that have different coloured sexes
Yes Mark, the females don't have the red (except round their legs) so are green.
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There is no need to go to India in order to watch ringnecked parakeets (Psittacula krameri) in ' the wild '. They are found naturalized in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen as well as in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK (London, Surrey, Berkshire).
On rare occasions small flocks visit my hometown.
Gerd
Gerd,
and especial in spring they are very noisy ::)
Easily to observe in Düsseldorf, Kaiserswerther Schlosspark...
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Flying over here and spectacular to see are several pairs of macaws. They are released every morning to roam but come back every evening for supper and to roost in their aviary.
Did anyone notice anything in the video of starlings in Belfast?
Here's a different video
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tMAUNs6hfL0 (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tMAUNs6hfL0)
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There is a bird of prey trying to catch a starling
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Just a couple of shots of birds of prey captured at a small display in Skipton, North Yorkshire on Saturday.
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Cliff,
That particular owl does rather look like it has sat on something unexpected and uncomfortable. Aren't owls just the greatest.... I recently bought a book on our owls and nightjars. The most wonderful pictures of the most wonderful birds. Would still like to see a barn owl in person.
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I have. I've had a tame one on my arm and seen wild ones, this year, leaving their nest
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Would still like to see a barn owl in person.
Or do you mean in barn owl? :D
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Barn owls are lovely - quite small. In fact, tawny owls are the greatest predators of the barn owls. That great grey owl in the pic is some bird. Notice its round pupils indicating it is a dusk hunter.
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Would still like to see a barn owl in person.
Or do you mean in barn owl? :D
Lesley,
OK, you've lost me?
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Would still like to see a barn owl in person.
Or do you mean in barn owl? :D
Lesley,
OK, you've lost me?
Paul, the barn owl wouldn't be a 'person' (it would be a barn owl) ... Lesley is just too surreal for Australia! ;D
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Thanks Cliff. That one went straight over my head (no barn owl pun intended), so thanks for the clarification. Lesley may not have been too surreal for Australia, but she was definitely too surreal for this Australian at least. ::)
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I thought only people living in London south of the Thames were surreal?
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I thought only people living in London south of the Thames were surreal?
Believe me, Anthony ... there are more than a few in Lancashire ... in Whitworth ... on our road ... in our ... , etc. etc.
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Surreal is an OK epithet. I've
barn been called much worse. :)
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I guess this little chap is a shield bug of some sort? I think he's dead as when flipped over he stayed that way. I like his red nether quarters. Very fetching.
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Looks more beetle than bug to me?
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Shield beetle then? In other words, what the heck is it? I see these in the garden very occasionally - the last one maybe a couple of years ago - but haven't seen the red spot before. He's 1cm in length.
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At Last!!! Our first Waxwing! :D Hope he brings some friends. Husband's away with the telephoto, so you'll have to do with a distance shot on my little camera.
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It will probably stay a while because you have a good supply of berries on ?Joseph Rock.
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Correct - can you see from there??
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sure can. Biggest flock seen over here this week was 150 along a hawthorn hedge. Luck so and so who saw/found them
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Finally I have seen Waxwings. 33 were feeding on pink-tinged white Sorbus berries at the entrance of a local school.
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Send 'em south Mark after you've finished admiring them. Waxwings only appear for twitchers in these parts :(
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Ashley do they never get to the south?
Here is a fantastic web site for bird photography
http://www.birdpix.nl/ (http://www.birdpix.nl/)
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Ashley do they never get to the south?
Oh they do Mark, but usually only in very small numbers south of Dublin/Wicklow. Because I don't follow real-time twitcher news I hear about sightings in Munster only a month or two later through 'Wings' magazine :-\
Thanks for the URL.
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Before this thread dies and we drift into winter I wanted to post these two pictures of the woodland caribou. I went kayaking in August at the Slate Islands located in Lake Superior. The caribou herd is isolated on the islands, and their numbers are in decline as they appear to be eating themselves out of a home. A large part of the forest floor is bare and the animals have made trails everywhere. There are no large predators currently on the islands - no bears, and the small wolf population died out. Sagina nodosa was common at the water's edge, but there were few other interesting plants. The islands were created by a meteor impact and have been given park status.
Seasons greetings from Sharon and myself and best wishes to all forum members and their families in the new year.
-Rob
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Beautiful images of remarkable creatures, Rob. Many thanks for posting.
Please note : We never sleep in Lancashire! Nearly 3am and still posting (and completely sober).
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I went to see the waxwings again at 9.30am this morning and they were still there. I'm just in from going again and they have stripped the tree. The Sorbus is a cashmeriana type that has been grafted about shoulder height on another ?Sorbus.