Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: mark smyth on February 19, 2009, 06:48:57 PM
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There is a Great Spotted Cuckoo, Clamator glandarius, in Cork. I'm guessing this bird should be in Africa at this time of year. It is a Portugese bird so maybe one of our forum members can give more information
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A friend has just sent me some eggs of a huge moth (Coscinocera anteus) from Papua New Guinea, so I decided to Google it and came up with this! ::) http://www.papua-insects.nl/insect%20orders/Lepidoptera/Saturniidae/Saturniidae%20list.htm At least my name is on the pic. :)
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Very nice pic it is, too. Got to be careful, though, Anthony.... you don't want to be googling yourself too much...... :P ::)
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A consolation for not being able to go to Dunblane on Sat was a bit of excitement in the garden viewed from the kitchen window. Brian spotted a weasel - we think it was a weasel and not a stoat, and yes we do know the difference (the real difference and the jokey one!). The reason we could not be positive as to which was because we only got quick glimpses as it darted from one bit of cover to the next. It emerged from behind an overhang of Dryas octopetala at one stage clutching a rodent, a vole Brian thinks which appeared to be wriggling. It disappeared from sight behind the raised bed, only to return about a minute later to dive into the Dryas again. This time it emerged with another vole - I had binocs on it this time. No sign of life in the vole. I was concentrating on the vole, which means I still did not get a positive ID on the weasel/stoat question. It then disappeared for the last time.
Puzzle: Were both voles already dead and was the weasel just moving his stash from one store to another? Can’t imagine a second vole hanging around after the first got murdered. In any case, voles are solitary, are they not? Any theories?
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Brian,
I had noted your comment under the Dunblane Show reports and yes, indeed, a good view of a stoat/weasel is a nice compensation.
Here in Ireland we don't have weasels, only stoats. I can tell you that they are very efficient hunters/killers and two voles wouldn't surprise me in the least. A few years ago we had fields of wheat all around us and when they were harvested we had an invasion of rats. This was happy hunting time for the stoats and we would regularly see a stoat dragging a dead rat much bigger than itself off to be eaten.
Happy watching.
Paddy
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Here are some pics of my male rainbow stag beetle (Phalacrognathus muelleri). They come from Queensland Australia, but are bred by Daniel Kunte of 'Coleoptera XXL' in Germany. The female is smaller without the huge mandibles.
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Oooh, errrrrr, I suppose he's very fine?? The metallic paint job is most impressive, that's for sure.
Does rather make you see why it has been at times the fashion to wear such beasts as living jewels, attached to one's jacket by a little chain and clasp stuck to it....... ::) :-\ :'(
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WOW - it is like a jewel!
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Puzzle: Were both voles already dead and was the weasel just moving his stash from one store to another? Can’t imagine a second vole hanging around after the first got murdered. In any case, voles are solitary, are they not? Any theories?
In my experience (gained the hard way >:() Voles are solitary animals. I once saw a mink( Mustela vison which is established in the Swedish fauna as escapee.) during cleaning out of the living quarters.
It moved carcasses of fish from one hole to another and then moved its young. Moving one of the young it spotted us and rushed into the hole. The young got stuck crosswise at the hole entrance so it looked like a movie farce for a couple of seconds before the presumed mother got a better grip on her offspring and disappeared into the hole. We gave them some leftover salmon omelet and they took it but moved to safer quarters.
Since the mink is a close relative I assume it has the same habits.
We used to have many coots Fulica atra but they gradually disappeared I presume due to predation from the minks which arrived to our place some forty years ago :'(
Göte
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Mink are vermine and have virtually wiped out the water voles in some parts of the country.
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Can anyone tell me what this beetle is ? I photographed it in Corfu about 16 years ago. It reminded me of the character called the "Rose Beetle Man" in Gerald Durrell's book "My Family and other Animals". He had a hat to which he had tied several multi coloured beetles. These flew around as he walked and gave the impression of moving jewels.
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They are rose chafers (Cetonia aurata) Tom. The adults nibble all kinds of flowers, including roses. The larvae live in rotting timber, especially old willows. They are found throughout the UK.
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Mink are vermine and have virtually wiped out the water voles in some parts of the country.
Here in Norway, the Water Vole (Jordrotte = Earth Rat) is Vermine and something that sends a shiver down the spine of any gardener as it causes enormous damage from its tunnelling after precious Erythroniums etc... No, the Water Vole would never have made it into Wind in the Willows as Ratty if it had been written here.... How many Water Voles would you like? I'm coming over in April ;)
On the other hand the Mink is now quite a rare sighting here, and Otters and Beavers now both quite common again having almost disappeared completely.
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Beautiful beetles, both stag and chafer.
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Fabulous stag Anthony. PM me with details on how you raise them....
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At last the frogspawn has arrived! The frogs have been here in varying numbers for 3 weeks, them seemed to disappear a few days ago. Suddenly today there are 70-80 frogs and lots of spawn.
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I took this photo last Saturday, this guy is hard to be noticed...
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At last the frogspawn has arrived! The frogs have been here in varying numbers for 3 weeks, them seemed to disappear a few days ago. Suddenly today there are 70-80 frogs and lots of spawn.
A bit early for spawn here. I checked on Saturday, but will keep watch.
I like those mantids Oron. Most other Mediterranean mantids overwinter as egg masses but this species does it as a large juvenile.
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This one is really incredible...
Maybe someone know its name?
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So you'll be making some lemon sago pudding Anne? ;D
Oron, that is a most amazing moth. Such lovely colours to camouflage superbly. I wonder does it take on different colours on different plants. Is this one a Lamium?
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Wow, amazing moth Oron - no idea what it is but it looks spectacular!
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Lesley,
I haven't heard that connection between frog spawn and sago in years, not since boarding school. I would think very very few people make sago nowadays.
Shepherd's Pie, by the way, was referred to as 'Dynamite'
Paddy
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I would think very very few people make sago nowadays.
That is devoutly to be wished, Paddy.... revolting stuff :P
Shepherd's Pie, by the way, was referred to as 'Dynamite' Paddy
Never heard that one ??? Could believe concrete!
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Maggi,
Sago is a very healthy choice, good building up of children type of food; good invalid food also, certainly better than the many sugar-filled concoctions offered today. Good plain food - like rhubarb bread and butter pudding which I made today and enjoyed after dinner.
The shepherd's pie got the name from its effects on consumers' bowels.
Paddy
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The shepherd's pie got the name from its effects on consumers' bowels.
Yes, well..... likewise the concrete...... different cooks, eh? ::)
I have to take exception, Paddy: there can be no comparison between a delicious warming and satisfying rhubarb bread and butter pudding and the slimy concoction that is sago pudding!
If I must have something of that ilk, give me rice pudding every time.... sago and tapioca are 'orrible!
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Well, Maggi,
as I said, it is years since I have had sago. Enough said, I suppose.
Paddy
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Actually, it was tapioca that was referred to as frogspawn, and is quite delicious. Sago has no structure and looks like fine porridge, but tastes like wall paper paste ought to. :P
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Actually, it was tapioca that was referred to as frogspawn, and is quite delicious. Sago has no structure and looks like fine porridge, but tastes like wall paper paste ought to. :P
Yeah, yeah, now please tell us what that fabulous moth is.... a few posts up, after the hideous mantis.......
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That one has me stumped Maggi. :-[
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Tht one has me stumped Maggi. :-[
That's a surprise..... terribly pretty isn't it? Looks like it is wearing a rather snazzy fur coat....Fendi, circa 1978 ;)
More than a little difficult to spot there, too. Super picture...... I'm sure someone will enlighten us..... :D
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I'm working on it.
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kjMJ5WYECvM/RdC6nXF0h3I/AAAAAAAAATQ/diF6yYMFDiA/s400/green%2Btea%2Btapioca2.JPG&imgrefurl=http://fuelyourbody.blogspot.com/2007/02/green-tea-tapioca.html&usg=__P0Rk24GFCwFSiM-ed17IVVU8paQ=&h=300&w=400&sz=16&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=TJI4JbWLVrqWhM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtapioca%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1
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The lemon sago pudding that was dished up to boarders at high school (I was a day girl, thank heaven) did look exactly like frog spawn, masses of little gluey round balls, a lurid yellow - never saw a lemon, lemon essence I suspect. The boarders told horrible tales about it and I believe it was sometimes stashed away and used later as missiles.
On the other hand, my mother sometimes made a sago plum pudding which was very nice, much moister then the plum duff type. The sago was soaked in brandy before adding to the mixture.
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This one is really incredible...
Maybe someone know its name?
I have had this email, regarding the beautiful pink moth, from Erez Simon, a Lepidopterist in Israel:
"Hi,
This is indeed a beautiful moth – and it’s the first time I see it…
Can you please send me the exact location and date that this photo was taken at?
It looks like a member of the Noctuidae family (largest group in Lepidoptera).
Thanks"
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I have had a suggestion that it may be a Eublemma sp.?
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Eublemma purpurina or Eublemma cochylioides are the closest look-alikes, but the one pictured in the Forum is even more spectacular! Definite similarities, though, to my eye, not a perfect match.... but if lepidopteran (is this a word??) taxonomy is anything like botanical taxonomy, that means little!
http://www.galerie-insecte.org/galerie/ref-22256.htm Eublemma purpurina
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozwildlife/2442320431/ Eublemma cochylioides (but Australian???)
Here's Oron's photo again...... of the lovely moth on....Scutellaria utriculata ( name added 14th March)
[attach=1]
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I also like the wee blokes in cassocks at the top of that furry plant. Furry boots it fund?
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I also like the wee blokes in cassocks at the top of that furry plant. Furry boots it fund?
Yes, Oron, you haven't identified the plant for us yet!
While photographing some flowers in the rock garden I glanced down to see an unwelcome sight
(Look away now, Maggi!)
[attachthumb=1]
Latrodectus hasselti, the female Red-Back Spider, which can deliver a rather nasty bite!
cheers
fermi
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Seems she has a red tummy too Fermi. ;D
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I remember the gardeners at Cinchona botanic garden in Jamaica (5000' in the Blue Mountains - people drove up there and wrecked their car suspension just to see British weeds) were afraid of the black widow spiders (Latrodectus mactans). They would 'spot' one and take the day off. ;D I showed the head gardener one (they were common) and from his response he was completely unaware that this was a black widow. They had been running away from the harmless birdeaters that were not so common. ::) I have found them also in Mexico. In southern Spain there is another species, L. tredecimguttatus which has more red. The reason the Australian version is called the 'red back' is that, in addition to the mandatory red hour-glass on the underside, they usually have a large red mark on their back. They are also called 'jockey spiders'. Their bite is dangerous but only fatal in exceptional circumstances, and doesn't cause the damage that, say, the brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa ) of the USA does. The real nasty is the Sydney funnel web spider (Atrax robustus). I have heard that you need different antidotes for male and female bites! :o
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Eublemma purpurina or Eublemma cochylioides are the closest look-alikes, but the one pictured in the Forum is even more spectacular! Definite similarities, though, to my eye, not a perfect match.... but if lepidopteran (is this a word??) taxonomy is anything like botanical taxonomy, that means little!
http://www.galerie-insecte.org/galerie/ref-22256.htm Eublemma purpurina
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozwildlife/2442320431/ Eublemma cochylioides (but Australian???)
Here's Oron's photo again...... of the lovely moth on....Scutellaria utriculata ( name added 14th March)
(Attachment Link)
A further suggestion from Dubi Benyamini (Israel) via Eddi John of the Amateur Entomologists Society is Pyrrhia treitschkei . Dubi found it in Talhouk's book "Diversity of Moths in Lebanon" page 179.
http://www.lepiforum.de:80/cgi-bin/lepiwiki_vgl.pl?Pyrrhia_Treitschkei
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A further suggestion from Dubi Benyamini (Israel) via Eddi John of the Amateur Entomologists Society is Pyrrhia treitschkei . Dubi found it in Talhouk's book "Diversity of Moths in Lebanon" page 179.
This type of moth does appear to have the more "furry" cape that is so evident in Oron's photo .... :-\
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Ooops sorry Fermi,
I forgot to say, the plant's name is Scutellaria utriculata, a common plant growing in stony places on Mt. Hermon.
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Botanical Garden Wuppertal:
A Grey Heron watching visitors and vice versa
Gerd
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On a little larger scale, mountain sheep at a mineral lick, on the edge of the highway through Kananaskis... a common sight there.
Hoary marmot, at home in the rockfall/moraine.
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The pink moth has been positively identified. 8) See above.
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Yesterday I found my first frog spawn of 2009 in a small pool on the Dykedale Farm road just below Sheriffmuir, less than a couple of miles from my house.
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Yesterday the sun was out of the clouds again. ;D We saw a pair of cranes Grus grus in the ski. A couple of swans cygnus cygnus were looking for open water where they usually rest on their way north (but did not find any) and two green woodpeckers picus viridis were trying to "outshout" each others. Friday I had a visit by a raven. Corvus corax There are tracks of roe deer Capreolus capreolus everywhere in the snow. It is said that the lynx is back on a permanent basis in the woods 5km north of us and that they press the deer down towards us. I have never seen any wild lynx myself (only tracks) but one had dined on a hare lepus europeus (good riddance) in our garden last winter.
Göte
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Taken at one of the bird feeders in the garden.
Paddy
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And the Long-tailed tit which is another of the regular feeders.
Paddy
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Cracking pictures Paddy.
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Nice...don't know that I've seen the long-tailed...
Love those little birds!
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They are delightful We don't have either among the introduced species.
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Your images are beautiful, Paddy.
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Two of my most favourite birds, Paddy, beautifully photographed.
We have only been getting the Long Tails in to the garden fairly recently... one of our great delights to welcome them.... they do like the peanuts.
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On a sad note, I was just outside looking around at what the melting snow has uncovered, and found a dead northern shrike (Lanius excubitor). :'(
(I did take a photo, as I've never seen one so close before, but I'll spare your sensibilities, LOL!)
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very cute birds, paddy! we dont have anything quite like them...
here are my most common visitors to the feeders:
Redpolls, and Chickadees--the Black Caps are most common, Boreal Chickadees not rare, but not so numerous....
and a ruffed grouse, these are not fed, its just sitting under a spruce tree..
we recently had moose pass through the yard--evidenced by their very widely spaced footprints in the snow, a trail of pruned bushes (up to around the 8 foot mark! those critters are tall!!) and a couple of piles of poops....
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And the Long-tailed tit which is another of the regular feeders.
Paddy
They never stop to feed in our place always on the move. Do yours also come in flocks.
Göte
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Gote,
Long-tailed tits usually travel in family groups along the boundaries of fields and generally are heard before being seen. They come to the feeders in small groups and are surprisingly tolerant of people standing close to the feeders while they are there.
Cohan, Lovely selection of birds. Redpolls have become so very scarce here and I never see them at the feeders. Your Chickadees are very like our tits and the Blackcap comes to the feeders here also but when it does it hunts every other bird away.
Paddy
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Cohan, Lovely selection of birds. Redpolls have become so very scarce here and I never see them at the feeders. Your Chickadees are very like our tits and the Blackcap comes to the feeders here also but when it does it hunts every other bird away.
Paddy
tks, paddy--the redpolls are very common here--2 species, i think, but not totally sure, as the amount of red seems variable anyway;
i havent 'noticed' the chickadees being aggressive at the feeders--the redpolls and 2 kinds of nuthatches feed with them...
oddly, though the chickadees like the sock feeders as well, when i moved the feeders due to squirrels, the chickadees never found the sock feeder after--the redpolls were there in minutes, it seemed, and the chickadees found the sunflower feeder (a different place) right away...
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The first migrants have arrived here over the past week. Always fantastic to hear the spring's first Robins singing in the woods around here. Yesterday I heard the first, in fact three different birds on my regular 20 minute walk to get the train to work. A bonus was a Wren in full song. Starlings are also back in force as are Oystercatchers and Lapwings along the shore.
However, it's a bit worrying that I'm now hearing my first Robins (and Wrens) 3-4 weeks earlier than when I first started noting this. In the 1980s, around 10th April was normal, nowadays mid-March. Increasingly a few are overwintering and I think that within a few years these species along with Blackbirds, Bramblings and Chaffinches and a few others will be common here in winter.
Common birds on my bird feeder are Redpolls, Siskins, Bullfinches, Greenfinch, Great, Blue, Marsh and Coal Tits, Nuthatch and House Sparrow.
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Stephen, I am envious of your range of feathered visitors!
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We get great tits, blue tits and coal tits regularly in the garden. The last hides sunflower seeds and peanuts in crevices all over and they occasionally nest in holes in the rockery wall. We are trying to tempt the other two to nest by putting up boxes. We only get the long tail tits passing through.
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can I have an identity for this insect enjoying the sun in the garden today. It is about 1cm long in the body and 1.5cm across the wings with a long proboscis
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Looks like Bombylius major, common name Bee-fly. It's actually a fly not a bee, or at least that's what my identification guide says (looks like a bee to me ;D )
Peter
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thanks Peter ,I googled it and got a super picture, you got it spot on.
I have not seen one before and its a lovely thing to see.
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like a bee to me ;D )
There are hundreds of flies that pretend to be bees and wasps because predators think twice about attacking them - and while they are thinking the fly can escape.The long thin legs of the flies are an easy way to tell them apart. I think that the Narcissus/bulb fly is also a bee mimic so they are worth checking out :)
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However, it's a bit worrying that I'm now hearing my first Robins (and Wrens) 3-4 weeks earlier than when I first started noting this. In the 1980s, around 10th April was normal, nowadays mid-March. Increasingly a few are overwintering and I think that within a few years these species along with Blackbirds, Bramblings and Chaffinches and a few others will be common here in winter.
last year, we had a few robins and a closely related thrush(name is escaping me now) and then we had some cold weather and fairly heavy snow that left them with nowhere to feed; a couple were hanging around the house (a bit risky with cats around) and i had to try to find something they would eat, i forget exact results now, i should have kept notes, but i think i had some success with apple/orange and raisins..hopefully this year they have better timing, there are serious risks associated with coming too early--we could have good weather, and it could go bad very fast!
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Our robin is quite different from yours, being half the size. Mary Poppins got it soooo wrong. ::)
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Our robin is quite different from yours, being half the size. Mary Poppins got it soooo wrong. ::)
i looked up the photos, (but not the name, have to find the bird book..) and found a couple of really crappy shots taken through the window, from last year, late april; here is a poor thrush forlornly poking at some bit of food in front of the door, and a robin on an improvised water dish with indoor cacti looking on...the several days of snow and cold left these early arrived birds in a difficult place, unable to feed or find water...
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Varied thrush in the first pic... they, and even the robins, probably don't need too awful much sympathy. Varied thrushes winter on the west coast and in the coastal ranges, so they get their share of miserable weather and are well adapted to it. Robins show up on the Christmas bird counts in every major city across Canada (as small wintering populations) and feed on dried fruit in the winters anyway. It is hard not to be concerned when you actually see what we think of as "summer residents" out in the snow, but it is, presumably, perfectly normal for them, given the records through time of their migration periods. (They are doing what they normally do and have always done; the only difference is that we are noticing them... if you see what I'm saying.) :)
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Varied thrush in the first pic... they, and even the robins, probably don't need too awful much sympathy. (They are doing what they normally do and have always done; the only difference is that we are noticing them... if you see what I'm saying.) :)
tks for the id...my bird book is buried somewhere...lol
i wouldnt have felt sorry for these birds simply being in the snow, except that they looked so forlorn--they just hung around in front of the house where there was a tiny strip of bare ground--and i didnt see them foraging or doing anything other than sit puffed up and looking miserable... they were also hanging around the feeders a bit, probably because they saw the other birds, but also didnt show any sign of eating there...
probably in the city there would be more fruits over winter, and bare earth--here every bush is stripped of berries etc completely, usually before the first lasting snowfall! the only exception is rosehips, which someone must eat, but dont seem as popular...i want to get more things planted for berries and seeds for the birds (there are lots of naturally occurring things, but again, they are all eaten up early!)
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Here's 10 birds never to be missed!
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You'll just have to take it up with "Mother Nature" then, Cohan. :) The timing of migrations seems to have been established long before city plantings are likely to have made an impact... and if city plantings made an overwhelming difference, then why would the early migrants not just stay safe in the cities until April? They don't because they never have; it is simply not part of their hard-wired migration instinct. Presumably, a return in mid-March for the early migrants (such as robins) must have benefits that outweigh the possible risks, e.g. establishment of breeding territories. Anyway, it doesn't seem that nature generally uses strategies that are suicidal, at any rate. The early migration of robins doesn't seem to have done them harm, in the overall sense - they are an incredibly successful species.
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Anthony your birds are discussing a territory boundry dispute
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Anthony your birds are discussing a territory boundry dispute
I sympathise with them...... flippin' neighbours!! :P
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You'll just have to take it up with "Mother Nature" then, Cohan. :)
lol--well, the robins certainly dont come this far in mid march, that might be suicidal ;) i tend to suspect that mother nature's strategies dont always favour the individual, but rather the species: maybe one year a few early birds get good weather, and gain an advantage in early nesting/establishing territories, ahead of the main migration sometime later; in a bad year a few individuals might starve or weaken, and the latecomers will have an advantage; either way, overall the species does fine; same in reverse with those staying really late, or trying for a second brood--doubtless at times they benefit from sticking around when most migrants are gone (there are some waterfowl here late in the year when open water the next day is really debatable), and other times they pay a heavy price..
i noticed a couple of flocks of geese yesterday, i wonder what they eat at this time of year?, certainly no open water, i was looking at fields as we drove (40miles) into the city to see if there were open areas they could graze--a few fields had some exposed spots, but that will all be covered again today after snow all night :( probably they are strong enough to dig through some snow if they suspect there is something under it..
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Anthony your birds are discussing a territory boundry dispute
Magpies are gregarious in winter. Round here they are just beginning to separate into pairs. This lot are are late, and are possibly young ones who haven't paired up yet? It was a very peaceful scene on the house opposite us.
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Magpies here have finished their nests. Do 'yours' build late?
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"ours" are just thinking about it..... getting the surveyors in etc. ::)
I've got frog spawn in my pond! Spotted it when having a stroll in the garden with my chum Helen on Friday and there was more yesterday. That's quite early for "my " frogs, who don't normally brave the deep and very cold water of my pond until April.
This weekend I have been minding the pet rabbits of a neighbour's children .... the pond there has a more open aspect than ours and is less deep.... the surface is heaving with passionate puddocks and full of spawn already. 8) I think the love song of the frogs is deafening the rabbits!
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I was driving home having collected Lucy from dancing. At Lecropt, just half a mile out of Bridge of Allan on the way to the Keir Roundabout I spotted a large bird carrying a twig. It was only when I was about to drive under it I noticed the tail. A red kite. Awesome! 8)
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The Australian Magpies are more like crows but their song is evocative of still, country mornings even in the city!
Here's a juvenile:
[attachthumb=2]
And an adult bird in our garden,
[attachthumb=3]
Another visitor "from the wild" is the blue-tongue lizard; I think this is a young one,
[attachthumb=1]
cheers
fermi
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Lovely blue-tongued skink. I've always wanted one. European magpies are crows, so similar to Aussie ones in that respect.
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The robins (Turdus migratorius*) and crows are back here, at their usual time - 13 robins in the trees around the yard last night. Re. the previous discussion, North American magpies (Pica pica, the one with the large western range, and yellow-billed, restricted to a small range in California) are corvids (so, crows, loosely). (And Pica pica occurs in Europe too, I see.)
Apparently, Australian magpies are Gymnorhina tibicen, or perhaps magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) and neither is a corvid... (though the plumage is black and white). So, for me, that explains how magpies in Australia may be noted for their songs, while our magpies are definitely not... beautiful, smart and interesting though they are.
(* I don't normally go around quoting latin names of birds (and know very few) but it's useful here with so many confusing common names!)
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The blame is on the shoulders of the first white settlers in North America, Australia and New Zealand who named similar looking 'new' birds after European species. The American Goldfinch is however in the same family as the European Goldfinch
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The robins (Turdus migratorius*) and crows are back here, at their usual time -
no robins seen here yet--my lonely early birds in the snow last year were in mid april, so they must take their time coming the rest of the way up here....
not sure about crows, yet--we have so many ravens, that i'd have to watch closely to see if the crows were back..
interesting to see ravens around when i moved back--when i was a kid we only saw ravens when we went into the mountains; magpies, on the other hand seem less numerous, or less seen on the property, at least...
there are also now bald eagles around all year, never saw those when i lived here before, either, and they must be scavengers, around here--unless they hunt small game and birds: the reference i looked at mentioned them scavenging or catching fish, and there is NO opportunity for fishing in this immediate area...
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As you can see from the following, this is the real robin: http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?safe=vss&imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2986402949_a2519000f6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/28424746%40N08/2986402949/&usg=__T3Z1MHlY7FswCcCuTjM92HnFDQA=&h=333&w=500&sz=77&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=aLyVokskXFfrbM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drobin%2Bin%2Bhand%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dvss%26sa%3DG
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Fermi,
What species of snake is the long green one in the second photograph?
Paddy
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Fermi,
What species of snake is the long green one in the second photograph?
Paddy
Probably a water snake, Paddy! Just tap it and see ... ;)
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Fermi,
What species of snake is the long green one in the second photograph?
Paddy
Probably a water snake, Paddy! Just tap it and see ... ;)
I'm a bit worried that the poor thing has eaten something that disagreed with it, either that or it has a nasty skin lesion.... look.....
[attach=1]
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Fermi,
What species of snake is the long green one in the second photograph?
Paddy
Probably a water snake, Paddy! Just tap it and see ... ;)
I'm a bit worried that the poor thing has eaten something that disagreed with it, either that or it has a nasty skin lesion.... look.....
(Attachment Link)
Probably just had a joint! ::) :'( :'( :'(
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As you can see from the following, this is the real robin: http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?safe=vss&imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2986402949_a2519000f6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/28424746%40N08/2986402949/&usg=__T3Z1MHlY7FswCcCuTjM92HnFDQA=&h=333&w=500&sz=77&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=aLyVokskXFfrbM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drobin%2Bin%2Bhand%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dvss%26sa%3DG
of course ours should be called 'american' robin when in international company; not being (capital A) American myself, i tend not to remember that ;)
joking aside, it IS much smaller than the north american species, but still easy to see why those homesick settlers named our species the same; more reasonable than many of the plant correspondences! (our calthas bear no resemblance to primula, for example, and we wont even touch the tropical fruits--'pine' apple/ 'grape' fruit? real stretches..lol)
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I cant remember if I told you that 4 swallows possibly spent the winter in the south west of England. All but one were found dead during the cold snap.
Swallows and Sand martins have already been seen over here along with Wheatears, Terns and Shearwaters and singing Chiffchaffs and Willow warblers. This cold weekend will probably kill the early birds.
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Swallows and Sand martins have already been seen over here along with Wheatears, Terns and Shearwaters and singing Chiffchaffs and Willow warblers. This cold weekend will probably kill the early birds.
sorry to hear that :( i know the ups and downs of individuals and populations are all natural, but we havent always left them with a 'natural' ability/space/time/habitat to respond....
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................. This cold weekend will probably kill the early birds.
So they'll miss catching the worm then! OK-Sorry but couldn't resist ;D
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Fermi,
What species of snake is the long green one in the second photograph?
Paddy
Probably a water snake, Paddy! Just tap it and see ... ;)
I'm a bit worried that the poor thing has eaten something that disagreed with it, either that or it has a nasty skin lesion....
Maggi
Couldn't you tell that it was TWO coupled together! ;D
They have been prolific over the summer but hopefully we won't see they much over the winter!
cheers
fermi
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I'm a bit worried that the poor thing has eaten something that disagreed with it, either that or it has a nasty skin lesion....
Maggi
Couldn't you tell that it was TWO coupled together! ;D
They have been prolific over the summer but hopefully we won't see they much over the winter!
cheers
fermi
Oooh, err, No! I really MUST get out more! ::) :-X :-\ :-[ :-[
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My greenhouse companion today.
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waiting for vine weevil grubs?
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Michael, you have the smartest dressed companion I have seen....gardening in his best suit.... what a handsome fellow! Cheers the heart to have such a friend while you work, does it not?
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What a dapper chappy Michael!
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You two know it's a boy? :o
There are differences between male and females. I used to know but have forgotton. When I worked in garden centres I figured it out. One is more richly coloured. One has a rounded head while the other has a flattish head. Very soon you will see females begging for food from males. He has to prove he is good at catching food before she decides to have young with him. If you watch closely you will see the differences especially if you keep them close with cheese, meal worms etc
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It is a male mark, the female is away feeding the young, he is waiting for me to give him some meal worms.
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Only the males have the red breast, the females are brown. He is a very bright chappie. We are often accompanied by one in the garden but he has never followed us into the greenhouse.
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Only the males have the red breast, the females are brown. He is a very bright chappie. We are often accompanied by one in the garden but he has never followed us into the greenhouse.
author= Ashley Here both sexes have the same colouration. It's fairly hard to tell them apart by appearance alone I think.
Both male and female robins are almost identical.... I believe tha males will be a tad brighter at this time of year as they show off to gain lady friends. Only young robins are brown, they have lovely speckled brown markings.
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Looking at Robins for about 50 years, I have never met anyone who could distinguish male/female by plumage differences. A male Robin will attack any Robin in its territory. He recognises the female by her submissive attitude and ceases his threat display. It may be that her plumage is also different in the ultra-violet spectrum from a male. This is pure conjecture on my part. Blue Tits display plumage variations under UV light which are undetectable to the human eye.
According to the Handbook of the Birds of the Western Paleartic, male/female Robins look the same.
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According to the AA/RSPB 'Complete Book of British Birds' the robin is Britain's 'national' bird. Its association with Christmas dates back to the 1860s, when greetings cards became fashionable and postmen wore re tunics and were known as 'robins'. Only a quarter live past their first birthday, mainly falling prey to domestic cats. Fights between males can be extremely vicious and may even be to the death. They respond to almost any small patch of red - a red flag to a robin would be a better saying than a red rag to a bull, as the latter can only see in monochrome.
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My greenhouse companion today.
Michael, what a cheery feeling to have a Robin in your greenhouse...one nested in mine a few years ago and I had to provide shading and ventilation so the eggs didn't boil! I should have fed her meal worms but she was a bit nervous when I was potting up! thanks for sharing the photos they're really lovely.
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Only the males have the red breast, the females are brown. He is a very bright chappie. We are often accompanied by one in the garden but he has never followed us into the greenhouse.
author= Ashley Here both sexes have the same colouration. It's fairly hard to tell them apart by appearance alone I think.
Both male and female robins are almost identical.... I believe tha males will be a tad brighter at this time of year as they show off to gain lady friends. Only young robins are brown, they have lovely speckled brown markings.
So which is this, Maggi, male or female? The baby was waiting to be fed! :-\
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I've seen many birds photographed using UV film. Some are lovely.
Tom look out for a pair of robins near your house or when you are out and about. I assure you they are different. Look at the goldfinches that come to your feeders. Males are brighter, have more red and have a longer cleaner bill. I used to keep java sparrows that are "identical" except they arent. The male has a chunkier bill.
I would say books on birds are churned out and are based to what has been said before much the same as bulb books
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I had a lodger in the early 90s while he did a PhD on Robins at Stirling University and he would back up the survival figures. It was quite interesting seeing how many robins lived locally by the different coloured rings they were sporting. He discovered that many also migrated to Spain in the winter. One did so with a radio stuck to its bum. It returned in the spring complete with radio (and dud battery). ;D
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Mark
I have Robins in my garden summer and winter. Yes, I have noticed plumage differences but this can be attributed to wear. I have consulted every bird book in my collection including the definitive Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol 10 under Erithracus rubecula "European Robin" which, under a detailed description of plumage states "sexes similar". The Handbook of the Birds of the Western Palearctic says the same that the sexes are similar and neither give any indication of how to tell the sexes apart. Both these books are at the top of scientific research and are the standard works in their field. They are a bit ahead of the Big Boys Book of Birds !
It may be that you have noticed something that others have not and it also may be that more recent research has now been able to pin point differences since these reference books were published. The British Trust for Ornithology would be interested to hear of your observations.
I can only reiterate that I cannot tell the difference and none of my birdwatching friends can either.
I saw my first Sandwich Tern of the year a couple of days ago along with a flock of 50 Kittiwakes moving up the Clyde. The Greenland Wheatears and White Wagtails should be passing through any day now with our permanent summer migrants shortly after.
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The Greenland Wheatears and White Wagtails should be passing through any day now with our permanent summer migrants shortly after.
I see my first White Wagtail here in Norway around 9th April +/-2 days, so this ties in well....
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I got this exciting news from the Woodland trust today.
http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/findings/newbutterfly.htm
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I got this exciting news from the Woodland trust today.
http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/findings/newbutterfly.htm
How incredibly exciting - I would love to see this butterfly in it's natural habitat, it's beautiful!
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Looks a bit 'dated' to me, Anthony! :D
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;D ;D ;D
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Looks a bit 'dated' to me, Anthony! :D
Okay!....I thought the Woodland Trust was more Trustworthy!
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If I remember correctly this is a hybrid named Inachis io photoshopius It appears from its chrysalis on only one day of the year, at the beginning of April, en masse, like Mayflies. It mates, lays eggs and dies all on the one day only for the next generation to appear on exactly the same day the following year.
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Looks a bit 'dated' to me, Anthony! :D
Okay!....I thought the Woodland Trust was more Trustworthy!
Sometimes (even with the very best of intentions) one can't see the wood for the trees! :(
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I think it is Vanessa atalantisio.
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Robins: I am quite sure that I remember reading in my Observers Book of Birds (1950) that male robins have red breasts whilst the females are brown. I now see that modern science has changed its mind and that both have red breasts. This belief has been one of the foundations of my life and I am now devastated! Does this mean that my Observers Book of Alpine Plant Names is also leading me and my plant labels astray?
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Robins: I am quite sure that I remember reading in my Observers Book of Birds (1950) that male robins have red breasts whilst the females are brown. I now see that modern science has changed its mind and that both have red breasts. This belief has been one of the foundations of my life and I am now devastated! Does this mean that my Observers Book of Alpine Plant Names is also leading me and my plant labels astray?
Dear Forfechtet een o' Forres , yes, I am sorry to tell you that plant names, in or out of books , change their names ( or more accurately, have their names changed) more often that you and I change our socks ( which is OFTEN!!)
Yours, Mathilda, wyce umman o' the place .
Glossary: Forfechtet een o' Forres - a person overburdoned with cares from the district of Forres
wyce umman o' the place - local agony aunt
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Yesterday we had a visitation by three bee-flies. This gave my husband an excuse to sit in the sun for 20 minutes taking photos of them . At one point one of them backed into a spider's web and had to be rescued, grounding it for long enough to take its picture at rest.
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last shot is brilliant.
Today I saw my second swallow of the year and a small flock of tree sparrows loitering around a pair in a nest box.
Today I also had a meeting re swifts versus architects/builders. Swifts win!! ;D While waiting for the meeting time I went to a local M&S for coffee and coffee cake - at 9am!! Best cake in a very long time. M&S is part of a large shopping centre. Every shop M&S, Homebase, Currys, MFI (no longer open) etc have the usual huge signs on their walls. Each sign has two pairs of jackdaws nesting making their nests on the two full length brackets that hold the signs up. One sign had two pairs on one bracket. I dont how they drew up the dividing line. House sparrows also manage to nest behind the signs. Nearer the car was a line of birch trees. This is where the jackdaws and some rooks were collecting living twigs. They must be easier to weave.
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It took me ages to figure out why all the shops would have huge signs of jackdaws nesting... ::)
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Robins: I am quite sure that I remember reading in my Observers Book of Birds (1950) that male robins have red breasts whilst the females are brown. I now see that modern science has changed its mind and that both have red breasts. This belief has been one of the foundations of my life and I am now devastated! Does this mean that my Observers Book of Alpine Plant Names is also leading me and my plant labels astray?
Well here's what it says in my 'new edition' of The Observer's Book of Birds (1952) "The Robin, or Redbreast, is perhaps the best-known of all our birds, owing to its friendly and intelligent ways and bright plumage. The cock and hen are alike (contrary to tradition!)."
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enjoying the sunshine all day on the step.
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Yesterday we had a visitation by three bee-flies. This gave my husband an excuse to sit in the sun for 20 minutes taking photos of them . At one point one of them backed into a spider's web and had to be rescued, grounding it for long enough to take its picture at rest.
Today I was shocked by even these flies! I took them for a combat patrol of narcissus flies, looking for an opportunity to destroy my daffodils.
Thanks god - only bee-flies! Have to look what the difference is.
Gerd
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Gerd I posted a picture of one in reply 63. I had never seen one before and found it sunning itself in the garden. Hopefully harmless to my plants but in any case I left it to get on with its life.
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Yesterday we had a visitation by three bee-flies. This gave my husband an excuse to sit in the sun for 20 minutes
interesting critters...when photographing flowers/wildflowers i never cease to marvel at the wealth of insect life--rare to find a plant/flower without some kind of visitors if not residents! and that's up here in the chilly north--what it must be like in the tropics i can only imagine!
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Sand Martins have arrived in the south of Ireland. I watched a group inspect the burrows from last year.
Paddy
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Came across two roe deer in the forest on a walk...they stared, we stared - their coats looked wonderful and then with a white flash they melted through the trees....
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Gerd I posted a picture of one in reply 63. I had never seen one before and found it sunning itself in the garden. Hopefully harmless to my plants but in any case I left it to get on with its life.
Thank you Tony - now I remember! Looks quite dangerous in this magnification.
Gerd
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Melita's hair is coming out in handfulls so I gave her a quick scrape tonight with a rubber curry comb and left the hair lying. I was amused later to see a crow going off with a beakful of hair. All the birds here have horsehair lined nests. I read that hair would keep slugs away from plants so tried it with some violas one year but the crows said 'Thank you very much for collecting it' and took it off to their nests.
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Our birds have dog hair lined nests - all very luxurious and very cosy, I'm sure. even the Gold Crests take it and weave it through their little nest balls. :)
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Howdy All,
No idea whether we want a separate topic for Southern Hemisphere wildlife of not, but if we do then feel free to separate this off into a new topic....
A couple of pics taken recently with my new camera. My old one couldn't have got these nearly as well......
I found this adorably cute little bee huddled (that is the only word for it) on a Crowea exalata in flower in my garden. The whole bee would only be around 1cm long, and it was just so cute! ;D The shrinking of the photos has unfortunately lost a fair bit of the clarity of the originals, but I think you should still be able to see most of the details.
Enjoy.
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And another teeny tiny individual.....
I think this is one of our little "jumping spiders". This is on the washing line. She started out with just a few strands along the line but now has a proper nest built on the underside of the line. It measures about 4 inches or so long from tip to tip, and we assume it encloses eggs somewhere in there. We think we can see them, but are not entirely sure as there are lots of little insects caught in the outside (or are the little fluffy things something she produces?). She herself is only about 1cm long and, like the bee, is adorably cute.
Enjoy.
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Yesterday I brought washing in before it was fully dry, as it began to rain. Perfect morning today so out it went again and apparently I had brought in a red admiral butterfly as well, on a pair of my knickers. When I hung them out, the butterfly sat for a few minutes while I fetched my camera then opened beautifully in the sun. Went to take another pic but it was gone already. I have severely cropped this picture in order not to offend (they are working knickers, not lacy, out for the evening knickers) and I promise not to make a habit of showing my underwear on the Forum.
[attachthumb=1]
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paul, that spider does look like quite a character; i sometimes have jumping spiders on my plants on the windowsill..
lesley, thanks for showing us your, err... butterfly! nice that it survived the trip in with the washing..
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Yesterday I brought washing in before it was fully dry, as it began to rain. Perfect morning today so out it went again and apparently I had brought in a red admiral butterfly as well, on a pair of my knickers. When I hung them out, the butterfly sat for a few minutes while I fetched my camera then opened beautifully in the sun. Went to take another pic but it was gone already. I have severely cropped this picture in order not to offend (they are working knickers, not lacy, out for the evening knickers) and I promise not to make a habit of showing my underwear on the Forum.
(Attachment Link)
This a hilarious posting, Lesley, it just made my morning and you captured the shot of the recovering butterfly admirably!
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Howdy All,
No idea whether we want a separate topic for Southern Hemisphere wildlife of not, but if we do then feel free to separate this off into a new topic....
A couple of pics taken recently with my new camera. My old one couldn't have got these nearly as well......
I found this adorably cute little bee huddled (that is the only word for it) on a Crowea exalata in flower in my garden. The whole bee would only be around 1cm long, and it was just so cute! ;D The shrinking of the photos has unfortunately lost a fair bit of the clarity of the originals, but I think you should still be able to see most of the details.
Enjoy.
And I certainly am....this mini bee looks as if it is doing a ballet dance pirouetting in your flower!
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I do like jumping spiders, you'll have to try and catch the hatching! I wonder what your tiny bee (I think it's a wasp) was doing sitting there? Maybe the flower was acting as a parabolic dish and focussing the sun's warmth on that spot? Maybe it was just showing off. ;D
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Anne,
You could indeed be right, as it does have a significant "waist" to it doesn't it? I hadn't noticed it until you mentioned it. Maybe one of our insect experts can shed some light on what it is? If it IS a wasp, then it is a bee mimic I am assuming?
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Yesterday I brought washing in before it was fully dry, as it began to rain. Perfect morning today so out it went again and apparently I had brought in a red admiral butterfly as well, on a pair of my knickers. When I hung them out, the butterfly sat for a few minutes while I fetched my camera then opened beautifully in the sun. Went to take another pic but it was gone already. I have severely cropped this picture in order not to offend (they are working knickers, not lacy, out for the evening knickers) and I promise not to make a habit of showing my underwear on the Forum.
(Attachment Link)
Thought I'd strayed into the 'wrong' part of the Internet :o
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Etta, my female panther chameleon, has just laid 15 eggs. Now the tricky bit of incubating the eggs for 6 - 9 months at 28oC!
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Six to nine months at that temperature..... that will be a challenge. And quite a lot of shillings for the meter :o
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Congratulations, Anthony - how about a picture of the proud parent?
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Congrats Anthony!! Very cool.
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I have an environmental chamber in my classroom with a green tree python in it. Temperature kept at 28oC. My back-up is a decomissioned baby incubator bought for Ł25 from Falkirk Royal Infirmary about 25 years ago. I'll check my pics folders at home as I don't have my camera at school. She mated with Sundance on 12th March.
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Here's a link to Etta the female panther chameleon and Ringo my male Green Tree Python.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2692.msg66015#msg66015
Here is a link to Sundance - scroll down and check the thrid chameleon pic. Butch was supposed to be a female so I sent him back in exchange for Etta.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1052.msg43304#msg43304
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what you need is the smallest Brinsea egg incubator. I sold mine last year for Ł50 to a reptile breeder
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The department used to have an observation egg incubator, but it went walkabout many years ago. :( As long as I can keep a box of damp vermiculite containing the eggs at between 21 and 28oC it should be OK?
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Lesley,
Your posting on the butterfly invites so many wisecracks - but I will resist for the sake of good taste.
Paddy
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what you need is the smallest Brinsea egg incubator. I sold mine last year for Ł50 to a reptile breeder
Not sure that would be of any use as the eggs need to be half buried in vermiculite and their orientation fixed.
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What about a thermostatically controlled propagator?
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BTW Etta is magnificent.
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This a hilarious posting, Lesley, it just made my morning and you captured the shot of the recovering butterfly admirably!
Red admirably you mean? :)
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Wise man Paddy.
And well done Etta!
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What about a thermostatically controlled propagator?
I have a thermostatically controlled environmental chamber and, as I said, the baby incubator which is also controllable to any temperature. It even has humidity control.
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We are living in the Dutch bulb district, which area runs merely along the dunes.
In the dunes wildlife is originally limited to birds rabbits and other small animals,
but through people fox and roe deer were brought in.
As the area where they live is limited it is obviously that they get over-populated.
So they come out of the dunes seeking for food and logically they come than into the bulb fields.
A big part of the dunes are managed by the City of Amsterdam,
and the magistrates there, are against shooting (for political reasons).
And they don’t want to compensate the damage to the growers either.
This is going on for years now and the damage gets more and more.
I show a picture of a tulip field where in winter the roe deer
were at work during the night.
In front of the picture you see the fence to keep them out
and since a few weeks gardeners are allowed to make electric fencing round their fields too.
The growers are now also allowed to shoot two animals per day but only during day light.
These smart animals come always when it is dark….. ::) ::) ::)
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In the dunes wildlife is originally limited to birds rabbits and other small animals,
but through people fox and roe deer were brought in......
A big part of the dunes are managed by the City of Amsterdam........
In front of the picture you see the fence to keep them out
and since a few weeks gardeners are allowed to make electric fencing round their fields too.
The growers are now also allowed to shoot two animals per day but only during day light.
These smart animals come always when it is dark….. ::) ::) ::)
people usually do more harm than anything when they meddle in ecosystems--hopefully we will get better at it, since there are few unaltered ecosystems anymore!
is that fence enough to keep out the roe deer? here where people have gardens or fields they need to protect from deer, they put fences that are quite high (more than a couple of metres)..this would seem like the best solution for the farmers, no?...
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Here are two pics of a recent visitor on the veranda in Pietermaritzburg. Luckily it decided to stay out on the open and not hide in amongst the pots! :o
(http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo161/calv208/DSCF0077.jpg)
(http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo161/calv208/DSCF0076.jpg)
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What about the octopus in the box?
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That is a particularly apt question, I think, Anne.......... excuse me for a moment.... just making note not to think about visiting Calvin with all those critters around....
..... though such a visit would surely turn one's life around........ ::)
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Quite amazing that a SA snake can climb like a gekko
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Lie down Mark! ???
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its good to have an occasional reminder that there are SOME pluses to living in the sub-arctic...no reptiles here..
there are rattle snakes in the province, but thats in drier, hotter areas to the south with rocks for basking....
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people usually do more harm than anything when they meddle in ecosystems--hopefully we will get better at it, since there are few unaltered ecosystems anymore!
is that fence enough to keep out the roe deer? here where people have gardens or fields they need to protect from deer, they put fences that are quite high (more than a couple of metres)..this would seem like the best solution for the farmers, no?...
There are high fences build near traffic roads, but gardeners are not so important. ???
These gardeners are already years asking for fences, but there are simply no reactions from the magistrates.
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Mark,
I assume you do realise that the pictures are on their sides? ??? If not, then plants are learning to grow horizontal and soil doesn't fall out of pots when lain on their side. :P ;)
I must admit I did for a brief moment think it was climbing a wall, too. ;D
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What is the snake. Is it a puff adder ?
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Sorry about the orientation of the pictures! They are indeed on their sides. :)
Anne- the octopus is a Scadoxus membranaceus.
Maggie- a visit would surely sharpen your survival skills! You never know when they might come in handy. ;D
TC- I don't think it's a puff adder but rather a Rhombic Night Adder. The dark V-shape on the back of the neck is characteristic for Rhombic. Luckily though as the rhombic is a lot less dangerous than the puff adder!
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Maggie- a visit would surely sharpen your survival skills! You never know when they might come in handy.
Calvin, you underestimate me.......I have lived in places with dangerous wildlife ..... England for instance! ;D ;) ;D I am happy to live now in a place with almost no poisonous snakes and spiders and the like...... but rest assured, my survival skills are better than you could ever imagine for a little fat woman with a love of chocolate.... appearances can be deceptive ::)
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Calvin, I'm disappointed.
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I've got a stiff neck. :-\
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I was horizontal when I saw you photos so they looked perfectly orientated to me! ;D What was the snake looking for do you think :o ? ???
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There are high fences build near traffic roads, but gardeners are not so important. ???
These gardeners are already years asking for fences, but there are simply no reactions from the magistrates.
seems odd, the bulb business is an important industry, no?
anyway, here there is no one to ask to build fences--you build your own!!
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Hey Y'all,
A couple of pics of some wildlife at a pond area here within Canberra.... A little Welcome Swallow (I think), a couple of Teal Ducks, and what I think is called a Purple Swamphen.
All thanks to the new camera, because my old one wouldn't have been able to get anywhere near this "close" to the birds and therefore wouldn't have made any usable shots to be posted. ;D
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Cute Pacific Black Ducks, Paul.
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Thanks Mark.
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A wren in our garden (sitting in a lilac to be precise) this morning.
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Some wildlife pics I took at the ANBG in February.....
3 pics of some sort of skink that I haven't come across before. Total length around 25cm or so.
2 pics of a possum peering from it's daytime hidey-hole
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Some more from Feb.....
These are all pics of East Gippsland Water Dragons. The first is a male in full breeding colours (he tends to live in a particular drain and often sits halfway out). Then some pics of babies, one of which I came across which may have been very recently hatched. I handled it carefully and photographed it, then set it loose back into the areas I found it. It sat for a bit longer in the sun then scuttled off into the undergrowth. Rather cute, but in an oversized head sort-of-ugly way. ;) ;D
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Wonderful shots, Paul.
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Paul, Easter Sunday Morning and I'm looking at you handling water dragons!!! You have captured fabulous photos with your new camera of real characters, thanks for those Australian moments. :) and Happy Easter!
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Robin,
Actually, only the Wren pic was taken with my new camera. The others were taken with my old camera. I will not take my new camera to work with me while the old one still works well enough to take the pictures it currently is. I don't want to get dust and stuff inside the new camera just yet. ;D I cannot zoom at all any more with the old camera without spots appearing in the photos, but it still works for basic shots, plus for macros thankfully. So anything taken at the ANBG, unless otherwise noted, will still be on my old camera.
That said, here are a few more pics, this time of the Maned Ducks and their ducklings.....
These 8 pics are a sequential coverage of the life and times of the Maned Ducks that frequent the lawns of the ANBG in Canberra. The parents first appeared on the 2nd of Feb with their 10 ducklings, then on the 4th of Feb they had 17, which means that they appropriated another 7 from someone else's brood. Normally that would be awful, but in this case they were great parents. They managed to get 15 of the 17 through to maturity, which is no mean feat!! In spring we had parents that started with 8 and only managed to get 1 of them through, so I am suitably enamoured of this set of parents!!
The dates are the last set of numbers at the end of each file name..... day-month ..... the first pic was taken on the 3rd of Feb, and the last couple taken on the 6th April. I have more in between these, but this just gives you a basic runthrough of their appearances as they grew up. They can fly well now and at times a few disappear off by themselves to other ponds etc, so I don't think they'll be together for much longer now.
Enjoy.
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The story of the fostering and survival of so many ducklings is remarkable! The Maned duck is really attractive I have never seen it before and love the spotted breast of the female, I assume, the male very handsome too and the ducklings adorable. In England we visit a river each year where the mallard ducklings have to really paddle to keep up with their parents in a strong current. sometimes they are swept downstream trying the catch the eddies round roots of willows. Inevitably, once separated, they are easy pickings but I am always amazed at their resilience - when they can't keep up they run on top of the water! :)
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Today by the shores of Lough Neagh there were many spring migrants seen and singing - swallows, house martins, sand martins, sedge warblers, blackcaps, willow warblers, chiffchaffs
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The parents of the year award .... and foster parents of the year, too, goes to....... the Maned Ducks from ANBG!! What a success rate.... remarkable indeed 8) And a real Easter treat! Thanks Paul
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Did you see the starlings at the start of "Skellig"?
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You have given up superb bird images Paul. I think your swamphen is the same as our Pukeko, a beautiful bird with rather disgusting sexual habits. Once when driving to Christchurch, a pukeko flew out of a marshy bit of ground and splattered across my windscreen which virtually exploded in a mess of blood and feathers. My small daughter screamed, I practically had a heart attack and was fortunate to be able to stop on the side of the road without further mishap. I cleaned it up with some newspaper in the boot then went on for a wash down at the nearest service station. Sorry for the pukeko but not my fault.
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Ewwww, Lesley. Too much information. ;D ;) And I'm not even going to ask about the disgusting sexual habits. ::)
8) 8)
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Did you see the starlings at the start of "Skellig"?
What's 'Skellig'????????
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Whilst one swallow might not a summer make, we've just seen TWO! Therefore it must now be summer.
We don't keep a wildlife diary but thiis seems very early?
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David, swallows and martins arrived here at the end of march which was very early. It's a normal time for sand martins but definitely not the other two.
Lesley, could you not see the swamphen coming?
Paul, I read they breed in a pack similar to wolves a with dominant breeding pair
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David Skellig was a movie on Sky last night
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skellig (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skellig)
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I've posted some before, so I'll ask whether anyone is interested in seeing pics of a Crimson/Eastern Rosella hybrid that was in my garden this morning (the new camera performed beautifully!) and of an Australian magpie somewhat enjoying our birdbath? Both of these were around our birdbath with me standing not more than 2 metres away from them. Very, very cool.
Mark,
So they're like Meerkats and African Wild Dogs etc then? Not sure why that is disgusting sexual habits, but I said I wasn't going to ask Lesley about that. ;D ;)
Can't be much worse than our Blue Wrens, which they have discovered constantly cheat on their mates. Both sexes tend to wander off and "increase the gene pool" at regular intervals. Any offspring raised are usually from a mix of fathers. :-[
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I would like to see 'your' Rosella hybrid
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Paul, your waterdragon is gorgeous, and so are the babies, they are not in the least bit ugly.
I love lizards ;D ;D ;D
There are none around here, I really miss them in the garden.
Would love to see your pics of magpies, lots of them.
I saw a sad, bedraggled rosella in a small cage in a petshop here a few years ago, they were asking 800$ for it ( +tax) I couldn't believe my eyes, it almost made me weep there and then.
I think there are more bearded dragons in Canada and the US than there are in Australia now,( in pet shops and privately owned ) I wonder how they got here >:(
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Helen,
A lot of the lizards will I think breed happily in captivity if conditions are right, and given how much money is in breeding them I am sure they make sure that conditions are exactly right. ;D When my wife and I honeymooned in Hawaii we were at Walmart and had a look in their pet section (for those who don't know there pet section might as well be a complete petshop in itself!! :o). You could buy the most beautiful Macaws (so exotic to me, by far the most interesting thing there) for $1500, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos for $1800 (the thought of these being more expensive than Macaws was just laughable to me, given I see so many SCCs every day) and the most expensive bird in the shop was a Pink and Grey Umbrella Parrot, otherwise known as a Galah. It was $2500. I nearly fell off my perch!! ;D Yes, I know it is all due to how available things are, but it was so funny to see things so common here selling for so much there. :o And that was 13 years ago!!
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Paul, I would have bought a baby bearded dragon or a chameleon ( they are so cool, I could spend hours watching them), but the thought of a power failure in winter would be the death of them so I can't take that risk.
Can you imagine a sulphur crested cocky in an apartment , I wouldn't like to be living next door!!!
I wonder how much the galahs bring in now, maybe Kev could start exporting some ;D
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Paul you may know there is a huge demand for these birds across Europe and America. They are bought for pets and for breeding. Australia has an export ban on these birds yet they are comfortable with killing millions every year because they are agricultural pests.
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Mark,
I've attached some pics. To those viewing, please be warned that these pictures are a bit larger than usual so that they kept a bit more detail. I've made them about 900 maximum instead of the usual 750. That bit of extra size makes a big difference.
The pics aren't perfect by any means, but they are SO much better than with my other camera in these circumstances. Light was generally behind the bird, making it that much harder for focusing and light conditions, and I am still trying to work out the focusing of this camera as it has multiple point focusing and it never seems to focus quite where I want it to. The full length first one was with me sitting at a seat about 4 metres away from it, while the others were with me standing 2m from the birdbath. The one that is a bit out of focus on the birdbath is in there just to show the back markings in a similar position to the "normally" coloured Crimson Rosella in the last pic.
The picture with the reflection in the birdbath was in there for no other reason than artistic license..... I think it worked out well with the reflection of the autumn leaves dimly in the water as well. ;D
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Mark,
Yes, I understand that there is a huge demand as they're so unavailable. Yes, it is rather ironic to say the least that these are present in pest numbers here (Corellas in particular have become a VERY expensive farm pest now).
Maggi,
Here's a couple of pics of the Australian Magpie having a bath. I just love the fact that you can even see the water droplets on him. The first one has him looking me in the eye, and in the second one he has just burst into song for me. Gotta love it when they sing for you. ;D
Warning, these pics are also slightly larger than normal, with a maximum of 900 instead of my usual 750.
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Amazing pics Paul, I can almost hear him singing.
There's nothing quite like a magpie serenade.
Before I left Oz, I had a magpie who would serenade me when his missus wasn't around.
He would sing for ages, and usually finish off with a whinney. Of course he would then expect to be fed. ;D
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Did you see the starlings at the start of "Skellig"?
Ah! I see, thanks.
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They have been scattered across the country all winter and spring with no sightings but now waxwings are on the move again. 100s have been reported across N Ireland especially in Belfast and in towns along the east coast. No longer frugiverous they are now insectiverous and have been seen hawking for insects. They are heading home to the forests of northern Europe.
A hobby rare for N Ireland has been seen along the coast road near the port of Larne
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I see the great value of including the "Quote" facility in one's replies. On reading Mark's question "could you not see the swamphen coming?" I thought he was referring to its sexual habits and was going to reply that I ran away very fast whenever I saw one nowadays. Then I realized it was in reference to the swamphen crashing into my windscreen. No Mark, I didn't see it at all, until impact.
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Ewwww, Lesley. Too much information. ;D ;) And I'm not even going to ask about the disgusting sexual habits. ::)
8) 8)
I'll email you privately Paul. ;D
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I see the great value of including the "Quote" facility in one's replies. On reading Mark's question "could you not see the swamphen coming?" I thought he was referring to its sexual habits and was going to reply that I ran away very fast whenever I saw one nowadays. Then I realized it was in reference to the swamphen crashing into my windscreen. No Mark, I didn't see it at all, until impact.
Would that confirm that a male swamphen is a swampc---? :D Hope your head cold gets better soon Lesley ... we don't want anything to interfere with your postings.
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...and I thought a Crimson Rosella Hybrid was a plant and a Magpie was something you eat - oh, oh, I suppose you can eat it - is it any good? ;D ;D ;)
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;D On my walk amongst the cowslips I saw this flash of orange and white but didn't have my camera - this is the butterfly enjoying the alpine sunshine
Orange tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
http://www.guypadfield.com/orangetip.html
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I saw two males on Sunday.
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Yesterday my cat, Cheetah, managed to catch a chick of Parus :( >:(
I immediately saw this and succeeded to rescue the poor creature out from his mouth.
Now he/she is safe and taken care of at the wild-animals shelter.
[attach=1]
[attach=2]
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Parus major the great tit. Ours are only starting to nest now
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Here's a bee fly (Bombylius major) feeding on Scilla liliohyacynthus
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Osprey web cam
http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/swt/swt.php (http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/swt/swt.php)
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It must be a really good year for bee flies!
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A friend is minding a couple of young Bearded Dragons during the school break, so I got a couple of pics for the Forum. These are found in this region, though I've never seen them in the garden.
[attachthumb=1]
[attachthumb=2]
cheers
fermi
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Birdwatching whilst pruning - tan tail and black with a flash of white - can someone tell me it's name please?
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It looks very much like a Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros
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It looks very much like a Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros
Thanks Tom - I haven't seen it here in the mountains before is it migrating somewhere?
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It breeds in Switzerland
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=6651&m=1 (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=6651&m=1)
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It breeds in Switzerland
Lucky little blighter! :)
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First osprey egg at Loch Garten this morning.
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Are you spying on Mrs Osprey David? :)
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Yes Lesley, courtesy of
http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lochgarten/abernethyvideo.asp
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One of our little Blue Banded Bees investigating a Crocus pulchellus. Cute little things. ;D
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Lots of busy bees here too, Paul, now that the wild flowers are are opening but none as cute as your blue banded bee having a drink! :) Are they solitary?
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Yeah, I think so. They're sort of the equivalent of a bumble bee, in that they tend to be more slow moving and a bit noisier than the honey bees. Nothing like the size of a bumble though, being only slightly larger than a honey bee. Also, unlike honey bees they can sting repeatedly, or at least I think so.
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common swifts have now arrived in N Ireland. No flycatchers so far and no cuckoos
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The bee is really cute. Last week as we were sitting in the garden, a sparrowhawk flew by. Looking up, we saw 4 buzzards circling and a kestrel hovering. I was beginning to wonder where the body was. ::)
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Warm and sunny here today. A few butterflies around. At least three peacocks, one small tortoiseshell, a few white butterflies and a male orange tip. Tried to get some pics but they were a bit too lively. I may have some reasonable ones of a peacock butterfly but they are still in the camera.
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My goodness Roma. In the late 1970's it would be June before I could find orange tips, and then the nearest ones to Dunblane were in the bog by Ruthven Barracks at Kingussie!
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Anthony, that is a marsh by Ruthven Barracks, not a bog!!!! ;)
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Anthony, that is a marsh by Ruthven Barracks, not a bog!!!! ;)
The words are interchangeable in my dictionary, but I suppose it would be a marsh as there were marsh marigolds and not bog beans growing there. ::) What ever it is called, it was boggy the day I was there, or was it marshy? ;D
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Anthony, if you aren't sure maybe we can just call it moggy or barshy? Or should that be maggy or borshy? :-\
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Who called me bolshie? :o >:(
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A chiff-chaff nesting in a raspberry/loganberry/boysenberry tangle means that part of the veg garden is off limits for now.
Just as well I didn't get around to tidying up, yet again ;)
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Who called me bolshie? :o >:(
An interesting word Maggi.
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Are you sure Ashley? I would have thought only males are here.
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The words are interchangeable in my dictionary, but I suppose it would be a marsh as there were marsh marigolds and not bog beans growing there. ::) What ever it is called, it was boggy the day I was there, or was it marshy? ;D
hmm--could get tricky--here, marsh marigolds (caltha) and bog beans (buckbean-menyanthes) grow together...
of course, locally, any wet area is called a 'slough' pronounced 'slew'
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Who called me bolshie? :o >:(
An interesting word Maggi.
I find all words interesting, Anthony....have done since I was first published at the age of seven......way back in the last century!!
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Are you sure Ashley? I would have thought only males are here.
I think so yes Mark. The bird is back and forth with bill-fulls of larvae & grubs, and I understand that males take no part in building, brooding or rearing.
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Anthony, the orange tip I saw yesterday was flitting along the edge of the wood at the back of the house as I was eating my lunch. I saw another today about quarter of a mile awayin a field. Both places are fairly near to boggy ground.
A rather scruffy peacock enjoying the rhododenrons yesterday.
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A black-capped chickadee collecting moss for nest building; they finally selected one of the nest boxes above our fence gate, after doing a lot of tapping in all three boxes! (The moss patch is in a disgracefully neglected area, the space between the spruce and the fence.) Note the full beak in the second photo!
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Lori, the chickadee is very busy - imagine the wonderful nest with that beak full of moss - your 'neglected area' must be the perfect place for collecting DIY building material. :)
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Anthony, the orange tip I saw yesterday was flitting along the edge of the wood at the back of the house as I was eating my lunch. I saw another today about quarter of a mile away in a field. Both places are fairly near to boggy ground.
A rather scruffy peacock enjoying the rhododendrons yesterday.
I haven't seen any orange tips yet. Both species are a real Scottish success story. Your peacock will mate and lay eggs next month. The resulting larvae feed on nettles and the butterflies will emerge in July/August. These will fly until September/October and then hibernate in an outhouse garage etc until next March. The orange tips will lay eggs on cuckoo flower or Jack-by-the-hedge and only one larva per plant will survive as they are fiercely cannibalistic (a Cardamine plant would only support one caterpillar anyway). They will pupate in June on a stem someway from the foodplant and emerge next April/May.
At the weekend I was down in the Wirral returning some squeaking silkmoth larvae and a huge Hercules moth larva from PNG that I was looking after for a friend. Holly blue butterflies were out. They haven't spread this far north yet.
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Nice pictures from everybody and stories behind.
You may remember that I several times deplored on the forum the decreasing number of honey bees / pollinators in my area.
Last autuum I built a bee hotel for solitary bees to help somehow.
I drilled hundreds of holes in an oak plate, put a roof on it and fixed it on a far post.
During winter I got a bit sceptical whether it would be accept.
The moreover I'm getting surprised how quickly the new accommodation has been occupied and pleased about the increasing number of pollinators for my garden flowers:D
I would like to motivate each of you to do the same and put one bee hotel in a sunny position in your garden. Beside the support for nature it is very interesting to observe the activities around the hotel entrance(s) ;) ;D
And, don't worry they won't sting you ;D :o
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more bee pictures...
If anybody knows the species name I'm glad to know.
Thanks in advance.
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Looks like your Bee Hotel is 5 star, Armin - how deep are the holes? Will take up your challenge when I find a suitable cut of wood ;D
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Robin,
my oak plate has a thickness of ~12cm, better would be 15cm.
I drilled holes from Ř 3mm to 10mm in steps of 0.5mm using standard driller sortiment.
As deeper the hole as more larvae can develop.
Drill as deep as possible but do not drill through!
Cheers.
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Robin - you could go into business with your offcuts ;D The postage might be a bit steep though!
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They do good rates on FlyB
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They do good rates on FlyB
;D ;D ;D
Armin, a simple plan to follow to make your bee hotel.... I hink it is a very good idea for us all to make such a thing.... these bees are precious to our future... this is an important project!
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Maggi,
thanks for your support :-*
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The dramatic little blue and orange wasp is Chrysis sp., possibly ignita, which parasitises solitary bees! I am going to make one of these hotels. I think it is fantastic. 8)
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One of our little Blue Banded Bees investigating a Crocus pulchellus. Cute little things. ;D
Anthony, is this photo of the blue banded "bee" the parasitic wasp to which you refer?
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Maggi,
Our blue banded bees are definitely not parasitic wasps!!
I was going to ask how you stop the wasps using the bee hotel. Here, I think that they'd use the holes, not solitary bees, but I guess we don't have as many solitary bees around here. No ideas of the nesting habits of our blue banded bees though. :-\
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My apologies, Paul.... I meant no offence to your cute blue banded chums!
Which critter is Anthony referringto then? I'm confused..... :-\
Is it this one, from Armin's photo# 1014, do we think???
[attach=1]
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Sand Martins Riparia riparia hard at work today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lOdPK3OUFU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lOdPK3OUFU)
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Busy at their work, eh, Mark?
I do hope that this is a Bank which can and will be saved ::)
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Anthony,
thanks for identification. Parasitic wasps - that's very interesting.
I'll google tomorrow to learn more about...
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We have several native bees, all solitary and they live/nest in the ground. I wonder if they would be tempted to holiday in a bee hotel? It looks something nice to have in the garden and sure to create interest from visitors.
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Anthony,
thanks for identification. Parasitic wasps - that's very interesting.
I'll google tomorrow to learn more about...
No problem Armin. I suppose orange wasn't really the correct colour, especially as these are called 'ruby-tailed wasps'. ;D They are quite common here in Dunblane, usually on the house wall.
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I've been on the trail.... I learn that these ruby-tailed chaps parasitise mostly solitary mason-wasps, as opposed to bees ....learn summat new everyday ::)
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Maggi,
No need to apologise... I was just pointing out mine was a bee not a wasp. The little blue and red jobbie you pointed was what he was referring to... definitely a wasp.
Here, the main parasitic wasps we see are the ones that hit Aphids. I am BIG fans of those wasps, and have even opened up my shadehouse so that they can enter and clean up some on my Cyclamen in there. Gotta love natural remedies for nasties!! ;D
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Maggi,
No need to apologise... I was just pointing out mine was a bee not a wasp. The little blue and red jobbie you pointed was what he was referring to... definitely a wasp.
Here, the main parasitic wasps we see are the ones that hit Aphids. I am BIG fans of those wasps, and have even opened up my shadehouse so that they can enter and clean up some on my Cyclamen in there. Gotta love natural remedies for nasties!! ;D
The, er, blue and red jobbies (is there a cure? :P) are really quite small, ~1 cm or less. Chrysis ignita parasitises mason bees and C. fulgida parasitises digger and mason wasps. It is the former that is found in Scotland.
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wildlife in the mountains and the valley today that I could hear long before I could place them! :)
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Robin,
Cute frog!! ;D
Here's a few recent pics from my neck of the woods.....
A green "swallowtail" type butterfly (no idea what it actually is) taht has part of the left wing missing. Not sure how much longer for this world that particular butterfly was.
A couple of pics of one of the Swamp Wallabies at the ANBG. They rarely stick around long enough for a picture, usually darting off as soon as they see you. It was fairly early morning in poor light and at a distance, so not great pics, but they show the difference to the Kangaroos I have posted before.
Lastly, a tiny spider that at first glance I thought was a tick (but we don't get ticks up here usually), but it definitely produced web and could hang from it and "reel it in" as needed. Very small, but rather interesting.
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These are not actually "wildlife", but rather the effects of wildlife. They're a spiderweb the other morning after fog, with the sun shining through the dewdrops. Some are refracting different colours. This size pic doesn't really show them very well, but I can post slightly larger pics if anyone is actually interested. In the full size pic from the camera you see much more of the prismatic effects of the dewdrops.
I would love to have seen what my new camera would have done with these pics, as i think they would have been much clearer. I was pretty pleased that my old camera actually focused on them and that they worked, because I thought they might just be fuzzy blobs. They almost look like drops on a piece of glass in front of the viewer, but I can assure you they're on a spiderweb. You can just see the strands connecting them.
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Robin,
Cute frog!! ;D
Here's a few recent pics from my neck of the woods.....
A green "swallowtail" type butterfly (no idea what it actually is) taht has part of the left wing missing. Not sure how much longer for this world that particular butterfly was.
A couple of pics of one of the Swamp Wallabies at the ANBG. They rarely stick around long enough for a picture, usually darting off as soon as they see you. It was fairly early morning in poor light and at a distance, so not great pics, but they show the difference to the Kangaroos I have posted before.
Lastly, a tiny spider that at first glance I thought was a tick (but we don't get ticks up here usually), but it definitely produced web and could hang from it and "reel it in" as needed. Very small, but rather interesting.
Paul, the tiny spider on your hand looks as if it might start another web on you any minute! ;D
Would love to see more of your artistic spider web shots
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wildlife in the mountains and the valley today that I could hear long before I could place them! :)
Your frog could be an 'edible frog' (Rana esculenta, but there are two similar species found in Switzerland: the 'pool frog' (R. lessonae) and the 'marsh frog' (R. ridibunda). If its call sounds like 'redit', then it could be a 'library frog', which mimics the called of the 'lowly book worm'. ;)
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wildlife in the mountains and the valley today that I could hear long before I could place them! :)
Your frog could be an 'edible frog' (Rana esculenta, but there are two similar species found in Switzerland: the 'pool frog' (R. lessonae) and the 'marsh frog' (R. ridibunda). If its call sounds like 'redit', then it could be a 'library frog', which mimics the called of the 'lowly book worm'. ;)
It was very, very loud and I suppose it could be like 'redit' but lots of redits trying to out redit each other! I shall see if I can find out the green frog's name because I have never seen one so incredibly green like the spring lily pads - it was in a jardin botanique (St Triphon) which is privately owned in a micro climate in the valley. I took some other photos but things were only just getting going or just over...I want to go back :)
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wildlife in the mountains and the valley today that I could hear long before I could place them! :)
Your frog could be an 'edible frog' (Rana esculenta, but there are two similar species found in Switzerland: the 'pool frog' (R. lessonae) and the 'marsh frog' (R. ridibunda). If its call sounds like 'redit', then it could be a 'library frog', which mimics the called of the 'lowly book worm'. ;)
Anthony - you omitted to add that, during the mating season, the call of the male 'library frog' changes & sounds rather like 'ovadue'.
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Definitely a fine specimen, whatever it is?
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Anthony - you omitted to add that, during the mating season, the call of the male 'library frog' changes & sounds rather like 'ovadue'.
followed by the clearly spoken words, "that will be a dollar please."
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More like 37p, or some other ludicrously obscure sum based on the number of nanoseconds the book has been overdue! ::)
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Heard the first 'cuckoo' and all the birds are very vocal now as well...
This one looks a bit like the Redstart I posted before but much lighter - is it a female? It is not at all afraid and bobs up and down rather like a Dipper. :)
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More like 37p, or some other ludicrously obscure sum based on the number of nanoseconds the book has been overdue! ::)
We in NZ have discarded all our small coins and the largest value we still have is 10 cents, supposed to be equivilent to the old sixpence but probably worth a quarter farthing if the truth be known. Groceries are still at prices ending in 6-9 cents so are "rounded" up to the next 10c, and invidious and insidious system which robbs customers of millions each year.
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Lesley,
The smallest we have here is 5c, with the rounding etc. Didn't realised you now had the smallest as 10c. :o
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Our smallest is a penny, which is the same size as an old farthing, last minted in 1954 and probably worth the equivalent of 10p now. I have an Edward I (i.e. pre 1306) silver penny. It was worth Ł24 then and is still worth that on Ebay. Goodness knows how you spent it as the only way to get change was to cut it into halves and quarters!
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Well Anthony you could spend the lot on an Ebay Galanthus and thus cut out any middle men.
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Need I say more...I'm keeping a close eye on what this one prefers to munch :o
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Robin,
I saw these snails when in Switzerland last summer. They are huge and certainly would not be welcome in the garden.
Paddy
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Robin,
I saw these snails when in Switzerland last summer. They are huge and certainly would not be welcome in the garden.
Paddy
Nor mine...they aren't even very attractive but there are so many snails and slugs I have to find a way of living in harmony :)
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Perhaps they are edible. That, at least, would be a saving grace.
Paddy
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Roman snail, Helix pomatia which is the best edible variety, although in France and Spain any old species seems to fit the bill!
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Roman snail, Helix pomatia which is the best edible variety, although in France and Spain any old species seems to fit the bill!
Thanks for the ID Anthony - do you think its ancestors came over the Alps here at Martigny with Hannibal and did the Romans eat snails ::) ???
The Carthaginian general Hannibal (247-182 BCE) was one of the greatest military leaders in history. His most famous campaign took place during the Second Punic War (218-202), when he caught the Romans off guard by crossing the Alps.
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The Romans certainly introduced snails to the UK. I think even the common garden snail Helix aspersa is said to have been brought across. The banded snail (Cepaea hortensis) is the commonest in my garden. It is a great species to demonstrate the effects of natural selection.
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Narcissus Fly in front of the garden door
Some time ago I found 2 pupae in a pot with a Cyrtanthus species -
I caged them in order to find out the time of hatching.
This took place yesterday - so they are on the road!
Pic no. 3 shows an empty pupae
Gerd
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Sound the alarm across Europe!!
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None here yet but I have been spraying against them. Fingers and toes crossed!
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An observation on the benefits our human houses may have for birds. There are three pairs of thrushes, two pairs of mistle thrushes and one pair of song thrushes, nesting in the garden. One pair of mistle thrushes and the pair of song thrushes have nested on wall plants on the house. The other pair of mistle thrushes has nested in ivy on an ash tree in the garden. This latter nest is under regular attack from grey crows while those on the house are never bothered. There seems to be a benefit in nesting on or near the house.
Paddy
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What's the difference between a thrush and a song thrush?
You must have a garden a few acres in size to accommodate so many pairs
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I have two pairs of wood pigeons in the hedge bordering the back of my garden. The are not much more than 10m apart.
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17 eggs, two hen blue tits and one cock bird sharing one nest.
http://forum.biggonline.co.uk/download.php?id=3724 (http://forum.biggonline.co.uk/download.php?id=3724)
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What's the difference between a thrush and a song thrush?
You must have a garden a few acres in size to accommodate so many pairs
Generally, when you talk about thrushes you mean song thrushes.
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Sharon found the drumming station for this grouse and I set up my camera this morning for a few photos. It was too easy as he was intent on ignoring me. The difficult part was selecting my favourites. -Rob
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Rob,
More pics please. Not something I have come across before.
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Mark,
Sorry if I didn't make myself clear. There are two pairs of mistle thrushes and one pair of song thrushes.
The first of the mistle thrush chicks left the nest yesterday evening, perched on a cotoneaster where my son and I were standing at the time. My son stroked it without disturbing it and stood beside it while one of the parents came and fed it. About 15 minutes later it flew to an ash tree with a good covering of ivy.
Paddy
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Amazing Paddy. What a photo opportunity? My point wasn't about your post, but about Mark's. Mistle thrushes are less generally seen so song thrushes are just referred to as 'thrushes'.
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Here they are Paul. I had intended to send two others but I guess I didn't get them attached. -Rob
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Beautiful images, Rob ... congratulations.
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What an exciting event to witness and fascinating photographs of the grouse drumming out his patch - what did it sound like, was he calling too?
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A friend has a mistle thrush nesting about chest high in a Betula. It is extremely steady and allows a very close approach except for magpies!
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Busy bees everywhere carrying full pollen baskets after visiting the meadow flowers..luckily the meadow fields are not sprayed :)
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Ah, pee-the-bed, aka dandelion.
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Rob & Sharon,
Brilliant photographs, a seldom witnessed occasion, great to see it.
Anthony, Naturally enough, I didn't have a camera to hand just when I really would have liked to have one. It is, perhaps, just a very local happening but there are more mistle thrushes than song thrushes around our garden. Over the winter there were always five or six about but only one pair of song thrushes.
The young mistle thrush is staying quite close to the nest area and is being fed by the parents and still is not bothered by us being quite close by.
Paddy
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Rob,
Thanks for the extra pics. Great looking bird!! 8)
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Robin, to me the sound is that of a person trying to start a small gas engine,;it fires a few times, almost takes hold and then fails. The drumming noise is made by the beating of the birds wings against its breast with ever increasing rapidity. I took more photos today from the side and may try tomorrow again, facing the bird. He seemed to lack enthusiasm this afternoon as if he is getting disheartened with no females showing up to his repeated invitations..Rob
Sharon here now re. the question of calls. The adults will make clucking notes, and the chicks will peep. The mother can make a racket like a banshee, along with a vigorous broken-wing act, if she feels her chicks are threatened.
One last photo from today.
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Terrific photos, Rob and Sharon! What a thrill (or heart attack!) when they fly up from under your feet! Such perfect camouflage!
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here are the chicks from my friends garden
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I think this is the same Grouse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW5gMV5WQPI&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW5gMV5WQPI&feature=related)
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Ah, pee-the-bed, aka dandelion.
....extremely a-pee-ling to bees at any rate ;D
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Ah, pee-the-bed, aka dandelion.
....extremely a-pee-ling to bees at any rate ;D
... And wee-vils perhaps..? ;)
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here are the chicks from my friends garden
Gorgeous pics of gorgeous chicks - aren't they a bit exposed in the fork of the silver birch tree :o
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here are the chicks from my friends garden
Gorgeous pics of gorgeous chicks - aren't they a bit exposed in the fork of the silver birch tree :o
That was my fear, Robin; since they have survived so far they may just be very lucky!
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Rob, Sharon, what great photos of the grouse. 8)
It would be very sad if this handsome chap couldn't find a wife ..... you cannot fault his outfit ;D
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Robin, the mistle thrush Turdus viscivorus is well known for not hiding it's nest - in the UK anyway. It's always in the open ina fork or against the trunk of a tree. They are not afraid of attacking anything that comes near the nest. People included.
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I'm still trying to think what a small gas engine it and what it might sound like?
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phut
phut
phut
phut
phut phut phut phut phut phut phut phut
phut
phut
phut
phut
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Oh right, one that is powered by Heinz. ::)
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Well done Sharon and Rob...and Mark, you've got it just about perfect!
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Here's one for the Butterfly fans, seeing this bought back my youth, much of which was spent running around the fields of Shropshire, catching butterflies and Dragonflies with a very large net,which was made out of net curtains crafted by a very tolerant and helpful Mum! ( p.s.. the crayfish, injured birds, snakes and lizards were an added bonus! )
Iphiclides podalirius - Scarce Swallowtail
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Another Butterfly from the garden today, probably Family Lycaenidae, the underwing shot didn't come out, lower wings opalescent blue, uppers grey, unmarked.
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Here they are Paul. I had intended to send two others but I guess I didn't get them attached. -Rob
nice shots rob and sharon :)
we have lots of ruffed grouse here--surprisingly they are often sitting on the ground in areas not out of reach of the cats..i guess they can move off easily enough when trouble comes..nice shots of them drumming, i think i got some last year, havent seen them this year, but often hear--there's a drumming spot not far from the bedroom window, and sometimes they can be heard in the middle of the night!
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Another Butterfly from the garden today, probably Family Lycaenidae, the underwing shot didn't come out, lower wings opalescent blue, uppers grey, unmarked.
we have something similar to this, at least in colour..very pretty...last year i spent some time following one around in a field of antennaria to get photos!
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Hi Cohan,
I was lucky today, I think they were hungry! :D
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What a magnificent butterfly Chris. Nothing like that here, though we have little natives not unlike your small blue.
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Hi Cohan,
I was lucky today, I think they were hungry! :D
probably it was finding a better feed on those flowers than on the antennarias...lol
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Here's one for the Butterfly fans, seeing this bought back my youth, much of which was spent running around the fields of Shropshire, catching butterflies and Dragonflies with a very large net,which was made out of net curtains crafted by a very tolerant and helpful Mum! ( p.s.. the crayfish, injured birds, snakes and lizards were an added bonus! )
Iphiclides podalirius - Scarce Swallowtail
I am thrilled to a see a fabulous photo of this butterfly from your garden Hristo - the day before I saw it fluttering by the river Rhone and was transfixed as it looked just like a miniature fan every time it fluttered its wings. I rushed home and found what it was on the web and now I can see it spread out in all its beauty instead of as a tiny thing taken on the iphone!!!!
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Cheers RR, the little boy in me had to resisit the urge to try and catch it! I hasten to add as a child I caught them, looked at them and let them go, the one time my Dad and I tried to 'gas' a butterfly to pin it, we both felt like murderers, opened the jar and let the butterfly go. Maybe they are better for being glimpsed only, or caught on film ,or painted by an artist!
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Chris,
what an excellent shot of a Scarce Swallowtail 8) 8) 8)
So rare here - only to find in mild climates north of the alps - .
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The rooms in the bee-hotels are now almost fully occupied. The insects like the holes
in the wooden logs, but prefer those of the bamboo canes. As the woodpeckers
also prefer the larvae of the bees I had to put on the mesh wire around the cans.
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The rooms in the bee-hotels are now almost fully occupied. The insects like the holes
in the wooden logs, but prefer those of the bamboo canes. As the woodpeckers
also prefer the larvae of the bees I had to put on the mesh wire around the cans.
thats neat! we have lots of bees here, and also lots of natural habitat/nesting sites, so i dont need to do these..just as well, i'd rather not get that close....lol
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Great pics everyone. Love the bee hotels, the buterflies, and that glorious grouse!! Thanks so much.
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Rudi,
I'm pleased to see there is another solitary bee friend. ;) Fortunate, I got no problems with woodpeckers sofar.
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The rooms in the bee-hotels are now almost fully occupied. The insects like the holes
in the wooden logs, but prefer those of the bamboo canes. As the woodpeckers
also prefer the larvae of the bees I had to put on the mesh wire around the cans.
thats neat! we have lots of bees here, and also lots of natural habitat/nesting sites, so i dont need to do these..just as well, i'd rather not get that close....lol
These bees are solitary and harmless. They don't bother people at all.
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Found a lily beetle this morning on a pot of seedling Nomocharis. It is no more!
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Found a lily beetle this morning on a pot of seedling Nomocharis. It is no more!
Well done David - you are a real animal protection advocat! I love this little colorful beetles too - did you destroy the whole pot of seedlings? ;D ;D ;D
Gerd
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Still got the seedlings Gerd. Should I dump them? They are in their second growth year.
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Still got the seedlings Gerd. Should I dump them? They are in their second growth year.
I would sink the pot into a deep container of tepid water so that the surface is under water. Leave it a few days for any grubs to drown.
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Thanks Anthony, will do.
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]These bees are solitary and harmless. They don't bother people at all.
i'll have to look them up--i was wondering about the hotel--thought they must not be hiving bees, but i dont know anything about the solitary sort..
of course, other than killer bees, most of the others are relatively harmless too, as long as you are not allergic, which i'm not, luckily--have been stung enough times over the years; most of the childhood panic is gone around them now..lol--i can get close enough to take photos when they are busy in flowers, but still prefer not to have them buzzing around and around as they sometimes do ;)
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Solitary bees don't sting unless you handle on them, and even then, they are generally reluctant.
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Anthony, I'm sure I should know the name of this beautiful moth resting on a bramble leaf but I turn to the Bug Buff for ID please ::)
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Perhaps a burnet companion moth (Euclidia glyphica)? The caterpillar is a clover feeder.
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Perhaps a burnet companion moth (Euclidia glyphica)? The caterpillar is a clover feeder.
Thanks for that, Anthony, clover is coming up everywhere so they will be happy caterpillars! ;D
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Howdy All,
Does anyone know whether the Australian native Blue Banded Bees will use things like the bee hotel shown on previous pages of this topic? They usually burrow into the ground or else nest within mortar on brick walls, so I am wondering whether the mortar bit means that they take advantage of holes they find there (and therefore they may use the hollow sticks or holes in wood?). I know that we have numerous different small wasps that would utilise the hotels, but if the Blue Bandeds would use them I would definitely make the effort to create a home for them.
Anyone know? Thanks in anticipation.
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Sounds like an interesting idea Paul, maybe you would be first to try?
This slightly messy butterfly turned up in the garden yesterday, the Large Tortoiseshell ( Nymphalis polychloros ). One I always hoped to see as a child in the UK, but it of course went extinct! :'(
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Chris,
All the info I can find leads me to believe that the BBB excavates in the ground or soft mortar, so I think from their point of view the hotel would be pointless. I was just hoping that someone here would know for sure.
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Maybe you can design your own 'Hotel' specifically for them? ;)
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Hmmm.... a mud hotel. Interesting idea. Is that something that people actually DO do? Anyone know?
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I have the bee-hotels since many years in our garden and had never problems
with agressive bees. These small animals are very useful for pollinating all the
plants in the garden, also at low temperatures. I believe,that the amount of
good seeds is much higher,since these insects are with me.
Paul, don't laugh, you can really build mud hotels-just try this link (in German)
www.bienenhotel.de/html/lehmwand.html
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On the subject of solitary bees...
I saw this very handsome one today, which I think is an andrenid bee (Andrena milwaukeensis).
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Rudi,
Yes, it does look like people make mud bee hotels as well. I wonder how deep they have to be? I doubt it is something I will do, but it is interesting to know that people do do it, even if not exactly HOW they do it. A fair bit or work getting the consistency right I would imagine. Thanks for the pics.
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On the subject of solitary bees...
I saw this very handsome one today, which I think is an andrenid bee (Andrena milwaukeensis).
interesting...i really dont know much about the speciesl; this one does look darker... certainly we seem to have a lot of them around here, but i dont know which ..i'll post some over the season (i find its rare to photograph wildflowers and not have some critters in them!) and see if there are ideas...
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Nice bee Lori.
From a walk the other day;
A tortoise, known locally as 'Gorska Pille' which translated means Wood Chicken, I will let you figure out why!
Also a Fritillary but I have no idea which species, or genus for that matter!
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It's another one of those you probably dreamt about Chris: Melitaea cinxia (the Glanville fritillary).
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It's another one of those you probably dreamt about Chris: Melitaea cinxia (the Glanville fritillary).
Happy dreams - it's beautiful on the blue what-ever-it-is....
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The crows robbed one of our wood pigeon nests today. I saw one with a pigeon egg in its beak, so I suppose they'll start again somewhere else?
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here are a few from my mother's day walk, i didn't do very well with these shots, will have to do better!-- first a 'something or other' dont even know where to look it up--sitting on a petasites flower, lens very close, didnt budge...
then several of the same type of caterpillar, they were spread out in the remains and beginning of the tall grass in one of the wet areaa where the petasites were..
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Cohan
First one looks like a Crane fly ,or 'Daddy-long-legs' common name over here.
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Yep, female crane fly - bad news as the larvae are the 'leather jackets' found in lawns and elsewhere in the garden.
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We don't seem to experience any significant crane fly larvae damage to lawns in this area (the Canadian prairies, I mean)... at least, I have never heard of it occurring here... Birds - crows, magpies, grackles, even starlings - seem to work over lawns; I assume they feed on cranefly larvae, among other things.
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Nice to see the European starling is of some use to you Lori. ;D
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Well, what can I say? I hope "our" Canada geese are of some use to you over there, keeping the lawns cropped down??? ;D
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Cohan
First one looks like a Crane fly ,or 'Daddy-long-legs' common name over here.
thanks all for the id--anything long legged is called daddy long legs here, though especially the spider relatives more so than the fliers; this seemed larger to me than other long legged fliers i usually see...
this is not near my yard, its in a pasture/half wild area... never heard of leather jackets, so i guess its not a problem here... i dont really have a lawn, just some areas that are sort of mowed meadow, forest etc...lol..so i doubt a little damage would be noticed, but, per lori's answer--we have lots of birds all over the yard every day, not often starlings out here in the country; crows we have lots of , though not often on the ground; fewer magpies than in the old days when the ravens were not around here; lots of robins and lots of smaller birds..
of course, its also very possible that the craneflies have insect predators here as well!!
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Yep, female crane fly - bad news as the larvae are the 'leather jackets' found in lawns and elsewhere in the garden.
Woodpeckers are partial to leather jackets and they help to improve drainage in the lawn at the same time!
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The Canada goose is a major crop pest in NZ and there is, I think, open season on them. They make good eating. I remember a friend who worked at Kew saying there was bad damage there too, and disgusting messes as well on the Kew lawns. Beautiful in flight yes, but we do lot love the Canada goose. >:(
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Yep, female crane fly - bad news as the larvae are the 'leather jackets' found in lawns and elsewhere in the garden.
Woodpeckers are partial to leather jackets and they help to improve drainage in the lawn at the same time!
we do have lots of woodpeckers, though i dont see them on the ground, and their cousins, flickers, which i do see on the ground occasionally..
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Breathtaking in it's freshly hatched colours, this Swallowtail butterfly was attracted by the phlox in my rockery and stayed for long enough to capture it on camera in different positions...
The photo of the Swallowtail lava is from the web and happens to be from Valais :)
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Beautiful, Robin.
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Wow, what a striking butterfly (and caterpillar for that matter). Thank.
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Quite magnificent, and doesn't it know how to display itself. :)
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Strange how subspecies Papilio machaon britannicus is confined to the fens around the Norfolk Broads.
We've got a young sea eagle hanging around the Blair Drummond/ bridge of Allan area. Easily recognizeable as it has a white head (young are like this with no white tail) and looks like a flying door.
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Late afternoon and this tiny butterfly looks as if it has the butterfly blues :(
I wonder what it is thinking ::)
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"Oh no, not plantain again...."
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"Who are you looking at?"
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"Maybe it's warm enough now to discard my winter coat."
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It certainly is fuzzy, isn't it! Very cool (or as Lesley mentioned... warm!)
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Saturday past, things wot I found in a puddle!
The frog was keeping cool, the 10cm long water snake was eating tadpoles that frankly didn't stand a chance!
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Saturday past, things wot I found in a puddle!
The frog was keeping cool, the 10cm long water snake was eating tadpoles that frankly didn't stand a chance!
Golly gosh! Glad I'm not a tadpole with those slippery customers around! Great photos Hristo - the water snake is exceptional in its perfect pose for your camera ;)
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Just before nightfall I surveyed the rockery and saw a column of ants in great haste moving nest. I think this is an ant carrying a pupa with the it's eye clearly visible - shot with super macro as close as I could get
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My goodness, that's some photo, Robin.... I suddenly feel a bit....... itchy!
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Very clear picture of an ant carrying a pupa of a future king or queen. 8)
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Poor froggie, seeing its babies eaten all around it. :'(
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It nearly had me snookered, I now think it looks like a pool frog (Rana lessonae.
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For those of you who are fond of tits, here's a blue tit (Parus caeruleus) arriving at one of my nest boxes with a small green caterpillar. The whole sequence lasted about 10 seconds.
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Fast food definitely or lunch on the wing.
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You must have been well set up to catch this Tit in action - it's a lovely sequence, Anthony....when did the eggs hatch? :)
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I just happened to be standing with my camera on the patio, having taken pics of some plants. Didn't seem phased by my presence, or the fact that Heidi was chewing a hide bone just below the nest box. Not sure when the eggs hatched, but the chicks are not at the noisy stage yet.
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I just happened to be standing with my camera on the patio
Spot of luck then, plus good reflexes! - very amusing that your dog was chewing a hide bone close by! I think Maggi said you had Weimaraner?
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Yep, she's attacking the next bit of it just now.
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Maggi's attacking the next bit of your weimeraner? :o
;)
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Maggi's attacking the next bit of your weimeraner? :o
;)
I enjoy the occasional hotdog......... ;D
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We are still feeding fat balls in a hanging cage mainly for the sparrows, starlings and siskins. I have just looked up from the lap top and there is a woodpecker on them! This is a first for us. If it keeps eating at the rate it is it will cost me a small fortune.
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I thought I would share some pictures of Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus) that I took last weekend. I was on my way to join a local group excursion to see Gentiana verna (amongst other things) in Teesdale in the North Pennines. As I had to cross several moorland ridges to get there from Newcastle I set off early, hoping to get some pictures of Red Grouse from the car whilst the roads were quiet. I was lucky to find a pair backlit by sunshine, just off a small track, and fairly confiding - just what I had hoped for. :D
The male bird has the rather fine red feathers over the eyes, the female looks the same except for these gaudy extras.
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Well caught shots of the grouse, Peter. Weather looks pretty good for your day out. :)
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That was one of the few rays of sunshine during the day. It was pure luck I was in the right place at the right time.
This photo of a Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) was more typical - taken in light mist with a strong wind blowing.
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It was pure luck I was in the right place at the right time
So often the case with wildlife photography! Like Anthony and his blue tit. :-X
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David, you MUST be more careful. Try "balls of fat." ;D
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David, you MUST be more careful. Try "balls of fat." ;D
Getting a bit testy are we Lesley?
johnw
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Oh Lesley. I had a jolly good chuckle as I could just about you saying that. ;D After all my laughter I'm absolutely knackered now.
;D
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Would you call these private jokes? Brilliant John.
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my goodness, the doubles entendres in this group! what is this--'Carry on Rock Gardening' ? ;)
lovely shots of the grouse, peter :)
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That is an idea, Cohan! Must start working on it!!!!
'Carry on Rock Gardening' ?
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Maybe they can be incorporated into the new feature "Carry on Rock Gardening". Now where's Sid James when you need him?
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That is an idea, Cohan! Must start working on it!!!!
'Carry on Rock Gardening' ?
As Carole Bainbridge & I always say 'the SRGC is a drinking club with a plant problem'... Carry on Rock Gardening is just an extension of that :o I still think we need to do our own calendar ;D
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This week my tadpoles in the tank of 'pea soup' in my classroom are metamorphosing. I have a floating disc of wood for them to climb out on, but have been catching them to release back to the wee pond from where they came.
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Now where's Sid James when you need him?
Fertilising the plants ??? Though after all these years there will be little in the way of nutriment left ::)
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That is an idea, Cohan! Must start working on it!!!!
'Carry on Rock Gardening' ?
Perhaps you could follow it up with 'True Grit', David?
I hope this isn't going to start an avalanche of suggestions? :D :D :D
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'A bridge tufa'?
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Cliff,
Don't worry about me chiming in again.... I'm can't get past the thought of the "wee pond" that the tadpoles came from. :o
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'A bridge tufa'?
Brilliant! ;D ;D ;D
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'A bridge tufa'?
That deserves an Oscar, Anne! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Sorry to move away from the main interest of this thread back to our bird feeder but we now have a starling feeding a baby cuckoo. The cuckoo is perched on a branch about six feet from the feeder and the starling is darting backwards and forwards with beakfulls of fat. After I have finished my cup of tea I will have to take my fat balls out again to refill the feeder.
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The woodpecker is now attacking what remains of David's 'fat balls' :P if he doesn't fill the feeder up soon there will be a riot...
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That is an idea, Cohan! Must start working on it!!!!
'Carry on Rock Gardening' ?
David - Up Pompei might be a closer match.
johnw
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Sorry to move away from the main interest of this thread back to our bird feeder but we now have a starling feeding a baby cuckoo. The cuckoo is perched on a branch about six feet from the feeder and the starling is darting backwards and forwards with beakfulls of fat. After I have finished my cup of tea I will have to take my fat balls out again to refill the feeder.
We want pics David. Put down your Guiness and pork scratchings and gies some pics. ;D
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I'll try, Anthony, (people say I can be trying anyway) but don't hold your breath.
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Cliff,
Don't worry about me chiming in again.... I'm can't get past the thought of the "wee pond" that the tadpoles came from. :o
Here are some pics of the 'wee pond' I took on Easter Monday, when I took the kids and Heidi up the hill to roll their painted hard boiled Easter eggs. I'll take some more at the weekend. Finally, Heidi relaxes in the kitchen after her walk.
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Now there's a dog that thinks she's a person!! ;D
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Now there's a dog that thinks she's a person!! ;D
From the way she's sitting she thinks she's a teenager!
cheers
fermi
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Well she has just passed through doggie puberty. It'll be a while before I'll can face a rare steak again! :P ;)
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I thought I would share some pictures of Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus) that I took last weekend. I was on my way to join a local group excursion to see Gentiana verna (amongst other things) in Teesdale in the North Pennines. As I had to cross several moorland ridges to get there from Newcastle I set off early, hoping to get some pictures of Red Grouse from the car whilst the roads were quiet. I was lucky to find a pair backlit by sunshine, just off a small track, and fairly confiding - just what I had hoped for. :D
The male bird has the rather fine red feathers over the eyes, the female looks the same except for these gaudy extras.
Peter, I really enjoyed your photos of the Red Grouse in the heather - the male looks so showy with his red eyebrow feathers but it looks as is he said something inopportune as the female is stomping away! ;D
Did you also have luck with the Genitana verna?
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David! A starling feeding a young cuckoo LOL ::) It'll be a first for Europe
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Anthony, terrific photos of your Easter egg rolling walk - any wildlife found by Heidi in the 'wee pond'? She is beautiful and full of character sitting on table - Weimaraner's definitely think they are human - Jazzy does too and is always in the thick of things... she is at the other end of the spectrum at nearly 14 but still thinks she is a puppy ;D
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Saw a slow worm sunning itself on a rock in the raised bed this morning - by the time I went for my camera it was slithering underneath but it was a lovely sight so sleek and in the peak of condition with darkish sides - I think it might have been a female. Anthony, do you think it eats ants as well as worms etc ? Perhaps that's why the ants moved house in my previous post? ::)
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Mark, I admit to not having seen a baby cuckoo before. The parent bird was definitely a starling, the baby was definitely NOT a starling. The whole scenario was a classic text book description of a host parent feeding a baby cuckoo. If we did not see a cuckoo, what do you think it was?
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Anthony, terrific photos of your Easter egg rolling walk - any wildlife found by Heidi in the 'wee pond'? She is beautiful and full of character sitting on table - Weimaraner's definitely think they are human - Jazzy does too and is always in the thick of things... she is at the other end of the spectrum at nearly 14 but still thinks she is a puppy ;D
There's no visible wildlife in the wee pond except frog tadpoles, and the seven wee frogs I released yesterday, from the taddies on my classroom windowsill. Heidi occasionally flushes up a pheasant or spots a rabbit, but the latter soon disappear into their burrows (I was Googling 'parental care in rabbits' for my third year class today and found a web site that suggested they lived in 'buroughs'. Er ... hello ... anybody in?!! ::))
I would be surprised if slow worms ate ants, but an ant nursery with larvae and pupae may be a gourmet supper if they are not attacked? Formic acid in the eyes is not nice. :o
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David you saw a starling feeding a young starling. They fledged this week.
http://www.arkive.org/european-starling/sturnus-vulgaris/image-A7350.html (http://www.arkive.org/european-starling/sturnus-vulgaris/image-A7350.html)
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I loved your blue tit sequence, Anthony, so I thought I would give it a try. I discovered it is very difficult without a tripod or remote. The bird is incredibly fast and, of course, there is no warning of arrival or departure at the tiny hole in the bird box. These are my best efforts, taken in between some very heavy rain showers.
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They're great pictures Cliff, coming AND going. :) I hope all the young ones are well.
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Did you also have luck with the Genitana verna?
Yes, very successful. I'm putting toegether a group of plant plant pictures from the trip which I'll put on the site over the weekend in the 'travel/places to visit' section so people can see what's around in Teesdale. We're going back in July for a second trip to see the later flowering species so I'll be able to add them later.
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Here's some pics of my tadpole tank with some more froglets ready to be released. The species is the only one found in Scotland Rana temporaria, the common frog.
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Cute!! ;D
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With my meagre photography skills, I'm afraid this is the best photo I could manage of our nesting black-capped chickadees. ::) They were terribly secretive while incubating (such that we weren't sure they were still using the box), and now are tearing around like little black and white darts, as they feed the young!
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a few days back, on the main farm;
interesting how this spot has changed: when i was still living at home, the farm was much more heavily grazed, and while there was as much (or more) forest, the grassy areas were all pretty well cropped low--now in many areas, grasses reach full height of several feet or more; also those years were drier, so i remember this area looking more or less like a lawn, with a little temporary pond after spring melt--we used to wade in it sometimes...
the last couple of years, there has been water all summer, and ducks and shorebirds etc..not 'deep' water, but at times a bit of a job finding a place to cross without filling my rubber boots; not quite as deep yet this year..
not quite sure of the id of this bird--maybe a sandpiper or yellowlegs, my book is a bit too limited...
the other is obvious enough--an interloper in this habitat--american robin..
btw, shots taken from a ways off with zoom, so not so clear..
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Wonderful shots, Cohen, and the plumage camouflage of the first two is perfect....glad to see an American Robin our and about! ;)
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Great shots, Cohen.
Paddy
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thanks robin and paddy--
robin, you are right, they are well camouflaged--except that they seldom stand still...lol
i was mostly shooting blind, i couldnt really see them from where i was, i would just follow the movement..
cohan
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Cohan,
That's camera "shooting", I presume. They don't seem to have enough flesh to warrant cooking.
Paddy
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Cohan,
That's camera "shooting", I presume. They don't seem to have enough flesh to warrant cooking.
Paddy
funny you should mention that--personally i dont eat any carcasses at all ;) but i when i was trying to id it, i read that yellowlegs sp (this bird or similar in size--trying to think of a comparison--body size maybe like a young svelte pigeon!) were popular game birds at one time--not too fleshy each, but easily had in good numbers!
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Incredibly happy to find we have a frog in the garden! I have never seen one here before but it seems to be happy in the shade of the chalet amongst the damp grass. No water available in terms of a pond but I think we should create something and then maybe he will stay and eat some of the snails ;D
Common Brown Frog - Rana temporaria
Where conditions are harsher, such as in the Alps, they emerge as late as early June
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Cohan,
Your wading birds look to be Solitary Sandpipers (Tringa solitaria) - the white ring around the eye is one of the important identifying features.
Peter
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While taking pics of the 2 remaining green frogs (last year about eight) I also noticed 2 damselflies.
Also attached here are some photos of plants in and around the pond.
Aponogetum distachyos, Iris versicolor, Hydrocharis morsus-ranae (around the frogs) and Haplocarpha rueppelii (loving the boggy conditions outside), together with Crassula helmsii (syn. recurva)
Gerd
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Gerd,
nice pond life! A pity the other frogs did not survive winter. Or were the breakfast for a heron?
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While taking pics of the 2 remaining green frogs (last year about eight) I also noticed 2 damselflies.
Also attached here are some photos of plants in and around the pond.
Aponogetum distachyos, Iris versicolor, Hydrocharis morsus-ranae (around the frogs) and Haplocarpha rueppelii (loving the boggy conditions outside), together with Crassula helmsii (syn. recurva)
Gerd
looks like a lovely pond! we have frogs all over the yard--have to watch for them when mowing!(which we havent started yet, grass is just getting going..) and toads usually around buildings where they like to bask in the sun..
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Incredibly happy to find we have a frog in the garden! I have never seen one here before but it seems to be happy in the shade of the chalet amongst the damp grass. No water available in terms of a pond but I think we should create something and then maybe he will stay and eat some of the snails ;D
Common Brown Frog - Rana temporaria
congrats on the frog :) i'm not sure if they need ponds for regular life, or just for breeding? we have frogs all over the yard in summer (havent seen any yet) and i dont think they are in reach of open water daily--though we have heavy dew most nights in summer...
in wet areas we have a kind of tree frog in large numbers that make a lot of noise at night...lol
peter--thanks for the id--i was leaning toward sandpiper, but it was just a tiny image at the bottom of the page as a 'similar bird'
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Who is this sticking out of a tit nest box?
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Armin,
No herons here visiting my garden - also it wasn't me who couldn't resent their tasty legs!
Cohan,
Thank you, the 'pond' has the size of a bathtub only and no problems with mowing in my small garden - there is no grass.
Gerd
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A robin, Mark?
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Cohan,
Thank you, the 'pond' has the size of a bathtub only and no problems with mowing in my small garden - there is no grass.
Gerd
no grass is a good idea :) of course, i have far too much area to have none, but i'd like to get it moved away from plantings, over time; we have to mow anyway to keep the forest from reclaiming the land... maybe a few sheep would be good, but i cant afford the fencing for now..lol
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Yes Anthony it's a Robin using a tit box with an entrance hole that is too big.
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I'm sure you all noticed that Spring Watch began it's two week run tonight on BBC2
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Yes: I haven't watched the programme this evening, but I may be more inclined to do so now that Bill Oddie has been removed!
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Here are some pics of my male rainbow stag beetle (Phalacrognathus muelleri). They come from Queensland Australia, but are bred by Daniel Kunte of 'Coleoptera XXL' in Germany. The female is smaller without the huge mandibles.
Very nice pictures of that beetle. Had no idea they existed.
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Who lives in houses like this?
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Are both pics of the same nest?
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Mark,
white eggs? I guess it is not usual: a nest of Prunella modularis?
Last week I saw a very professional bee hotel in a fruit plantation.
Cannot resist to post it - try to copy it ;)
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Anthony, one nest is in a bush and the other is on cement.
Armin I see where you are coming from but you are wrong. The Dunnock has turquoise blue eggs
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Mark, the bird's nest is beautifully constructed and it seem that there is lots of lichen woven in to the exterior - then discovered on the Web that it is used as a light reflector? The interior seems to have dried grasses/reed/iris (?) lining it and a piece of blue nylon string! I imagine it is the house of a water bird but it appears to me as if the nest is off the ground or against a wall ....continuing my search in your 'Who lives in houses like this?' puzzle - it's amazing what you find out along the way ;)
Just spotted Mark's reply posted as winging my reply after the bee hotel and see it's 2 nests - I'll start again ::)
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Mark,
white eggs? I guess it is not usual: a nest of Prunella modularis?
Last week I saw a very professional bee hotel in a fruit plantation.
Cannot resist to post it - try to copy it ;)
What bee wouldn't want to book in there, Armin? It's an amazing hotel! Do you know what the fruit plantation consisted of?
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Are both pics of the same nest?
Anthony,
I am trying to mail you but have no answer. Have you changed your address. PLS contact me at gote@svanholm.se
Göte
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Two gorgeous butterflies in the Alpine meadows today:
Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma)
Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale)
According to Guy Padfield's ID both male - http://www.guypadfield.com/
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What bee wouldn't want to book in there, Armin? It's an amazing hotel! Do you know what the fruit plantation consisted of?
Robin,
the fruit plantation consist of mainly local varities of apple trees, pears and plum trees.
All apples are harvested for winepress. Result after 4-6months of fermentation is a sour apple wine :o. But when mixed with 1/3rd sparkling mineral water it is the best for thirst slaking in summer 8)
In winter times apple wine, shortly boiled with cloves, cinnamon, sugar and a dash of lemon juice, is excellent for warming up and preventing a cold! 8)
Pears and plums are harvested for a local distillery to make lofty schnaps. ;D
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Anthony, one nest is in a bush and the other is on cement.
Armin I see where you are coming from but you are wrong. The Dunnock has turquoise blue eggs
Mark,
O.k. I'll continoue the nest puzzle. The white eggs in the nest are from a Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)?
The other nest in the bush is from a Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) or related species?
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That sounds like a jolly good orchard Armin, best possible uses for the fruit. ;D
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Second nest reminds me of a long-tailed tit?
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Second nest reminds me of a long-tailed tit?
I thought it was a possibility too.....also was thinking of wagtails as they used to nest in Wisteria against the house but never got close enough to see the construction.....
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What bee wouldn't want to book in there, Armin? It's an amazing hotel! Do you know what the fruit plantation consisted of?
Robin,
the fruit plantation consist of mainly local varities of apple trees, pears and plum trees.
All apples are harvested for winepress. Result after 4-6months of fermentation is a sour apple wine :o. But when mixed with 1/3rd sparkling mineral water it is the best for thirst slaking in summer 8)
In winter times apple wine, shortly boiled with cloves, cinnamon, sugar and a dash of lemon juice, is excellent for warming up and preventing a cold! 8)
Pears and plums are harvested for a local distillery to make lofty schnaps. ;D
Really interesting, Armin, thanks for your detail of the plantation and what happens to the fruit - plus tempting recipes with apple wine!
Here in Valais the four winds and climate are ideal for fruit growing and the Rhone valley floor is covered in all apples, pears, cherries, plums, strawberries, raspberries using every available space, as is the Swiss habit, with vines on the slopes and apricots too. It is a great region for wine such a Dole and famous liqueurs as in Morand - for anyone's interest - the apricot one is delicious ;D
http://www.morand.ch/
As this is a wildlife thread - just to say all pollinators appreciate the region too :P
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This is a banana slug on a redwood in California. They can grow upto 9 inches but this is only about 6 inches. They are a major factor in the recycling of plant life in the forest.
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Oh my God! I wish I hadn't clicked to enlarge. :o
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Oh my God! I wish I hadn't clicked to enlarge. :o
Me too! :-X :P
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You see we've got recycling all wrong - we should be 'going yellow' ;D
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Some (not so clear) pictures of the Barn swallows that are breeding in my father's old carpentry workshop: normally they breed in small groups but here we have a couple for some years now that do not like companions; they chase every other couple that wants to breed here too away
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We've got our first Painted Lady butterfly this morning. There was an article on our local radio last week telling us to watch out for "giant African butterflies" coming over in large numbers, with a three inch wingspan!!!! It transpired they were talking about Painted Ladies.
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We've got our first Painted Lady butterfly this morning. There was an article on our local radio last week telling us to watch out for "giant African butterflies" coming over in large numbers, with a three inch wingspan!!!! It transpired they were talking about Painted Ladies.
Since last week, we have a lot of them too, they are everywhere.
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Since last week, we have a lot of them too, they are everywhere.
How wonderful. Don't spare the pictures please, for those of us who never have seen this butterfly. :)
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Here is a Painted Lady for you, Lesley. I had some visiting my garden yesterday. They seem a bit pale this time of year. The ones you see here in autumn have much brighter colours.
Painted Lady on Allium
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Here are some more pictures of Painted lady's (Vanessa cardui) taken today in my garden.
They are a migratory butterfly who are coming from Central Africa (where they have spend their winter), that's also the reason why their colours are a bit pale (they have travelled very far ;)
Lesley, they are direct relatives of Vanessa kershawi, which you might see in New-Zealand.
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Thank you both for these lovely pictures. I did a quick Google on Vanessa kershawi and see that it is the Australian Painted Lady. I've not seen her in New zealand though it may be here, perhaps in the North Island. However, I DID see one last September in a Blue Mountains garden in New South Wales. My host didn't see it so couldn't tell me what I'd seen, but that was definitely IT.
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So that is the little fairly common brown and black one that we have? I thought it looked similar.
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I have seen dozens over the weekend, often two chasing one another. I walked for several miles on Saturday evening and every hundred yards or so along the edge of a wood I saw at least one. At rest, with the points of their wings forming a straight line through the thorax 3" is about right. These ones are the result of a huge emergence in Morocco and hit our shores about 10 days ago. The larvae feed on nettles and, especially, thistles.
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Loads and loads of them here also. We were walking along a new road, not in use yet, and the verges were simply awash with them.
Paddy
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The BBCS is doing a survey to chart the sightings: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/sightings/1097/painted_lady.html It seems it is the biggest migration since 1996, at least. I wonder if other species, like the clouded yellow, will also arrive in similar numbers?
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and I can tell you I saw 'millions' ::) while in Scotland last week
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and I can tell you I saw 'millions' ::) while in Scotland last week
Did you? They're not in Aberdeen yet, as far as I have seen. :(
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Were you at Gardening Scotland Mark?
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Of course!
The only Rockers I saw were the Shaws, Ian Young, and Ian Christie. The trip came at a very bad time because I'm unemployed again! :o That's twice in one year and the most I have ever been since I left school
Every garden I visited especially Threave had many Painted Ladies
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The BBCS is doing a survey to chart the sightings: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/sightings/1097/painted_lady.html It seems it is the biggest migration since 1996, at least. I wonder if other species, like the clouded yellow, will also arrive in similar numbers?
There are loads of painted ladies here too some pale, others brighter, one was sunning itself on a rock this morning (hugging it almost!) and another looked very battered having lost one back wing - I was amazed it could still fly ::) I posted a photo of the Clouded yellow earlier that I saw here in the meadow but have not seen another as yet...they are incredibly beautiful...altogether there are butterflies & bees and other insects busy all day on my meadow patch (the only remaining wild flowers nearby as the rest have been strimmed :o
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Lovely photo, Robin.
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Every garden I visited especially Threave had many Painted Ladies
When I was around 12 I went butterfly catching with a school-friend and when we came back to his place we told his mum about the ones we'd seen - she said we were too young for Painted Ladies :o ;D
cheers
fermi
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His Mum had a great sense of humour - at 12 did you get the joke Fermi? ;D
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Stuff on my Inbox about moose, but where are they here?
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Now I see this topic has been split but where's the other bit?
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did you find it lesley? still in general forum under wildlife mid 2009...
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Yes, Cohan, that's right, thanks! Realised it was time to move from "early" to mid 2009!
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3720.105
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No, I hadn't found it yet, (wil look there now). I was waiting until some kindly person came to my rescue. Thanks to you both. :)