Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: mark smyth on October 02, 2009, 08:01:35 PM
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A Tufted puffin that should be in the Pacific is off Kent!
http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1749 (http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1749)
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Autumn Watch starts again tonight on BBC2 at 9pm
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Very cool re the Puffin, Mark (no pun intended). What a find. 8)
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Anyone who thinks Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are lovely?......
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2003/10/09/2045456.htm
I am SO hoping they don't decide to latch on to our house! :o
And Yes, we do get a lot of them in this area.
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Liked the article about the cockatoos amazing to think that they could do damage like that. 8) I think I am safe here in Scotland.
Angie
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Angie,
I don't know. Those cockies are pretty smart. maybe they might steal some tickets and save their wings on a flight to Scotland!! ;D
On a visit to some open gardens a couple of hours north of here the other day, I came across a few of these strange bugs that I have not seen before. Anyone know what they are? They're obviously attracted to nectar. Please excuse the brown spots on so many of the pics I am posting.... we suffered from a dust storm just like Sydney did the other day, although ours was the day before and thankfully not quite as bad. :o
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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Just what I need for my Advanced Higher Biology lesson on mimicry Paul. :o These are beetles, but are clearly wasp mimics! Compare them with Armin's parasitic wasps! Fantastic! 8)
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Astonishing Puffin find, Mark and beetles, Paul.
Cycling home from work yesterday and I heard the characteristic sound of Waxwings and further investigation revealed a small flock of 25 birds, the season's first. Not a good Rowan year, so they probably won'ęt be hanging around long this year. Arrived home to find a group of 8 Swallows insect catching over the garden - their migration south would have been hampered this year by the continous stream of low pressure systems passing through (record rainfall for September).
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Stephen are you saying there could be another waxwing eruption? Here, at least in N Ireland, the berry crop this year is huge
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Snow geese in north-central Saskatchewan last weekend. There were a few thousand feeding in the hills behind the area that's visible here. And speaking of snow, we had a flurry this morning...
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Paul
Looks like a long horn beetle but dont quote me, you guys have some extremely weird insects over there in Aussie. I wonder if they wave those long antennae about as the wasp they mimic no doubt does, nice to see the mimic even has the white on the end of the antennae.
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Paul
Looks like a long horn beetle but dont quote me, you guys have some extremely weird insects over there in Aussie. I wonder if they wave those long antennae about as the wasp they mimic no doubt does, nice to see the mimic even has the white on the end of the antennae.
The fact that the antennae have an 'elbow' joint is very ant-like.
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Paul our native parrot the kea also has destructive tendencies like the cockies' but since they frequent high country rather than inhabited areas, they're not too much of a problem. They like windscreen wipers or anything moveable on a vehicle and I once had a sneaker removed from outside a tramping hut. Found it about a kilometre away and in very sad condition. Usually their habits are thought of here as "playful" rather than malevolent. :D
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I generally refer to cleavers as "sticky weed." I was told at the weekend by a friend who has Irish Setters that the best way to clean them from long dog fur is to put the dog among those sharp edged grasses which grow on sand dunes and which are known locally as "cutty grass."
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Paul
We have creepy bugs over here, I hate those insects with long legs we have "daddy longlegs " here in Aberdeen, Anthony will know the right name for them I guess. I agree with Kees Green you do have some weird insects over there, but saying that it must be the most wonderful place to live. I enjoy the pictures.
Angie
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Angie, there are, alas, three different beasties which rejoice in the name 'daddy-long-legs'. The first is the crane fly; the second is the harvestman, which is an arachnid resembling a long legged spider, but with one visible body part; and the daddy-long-legs spider (Pholcus phalangoides). The last spins untidy webs on the ceilings in utility rooms (like ours) or outhouses further south.
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Thanks Anthony
Its the crane fly I don't like they always seem to get into the house. Looked up Pholcus Phalangoides, :o its even scarier, I am terrified of garden worms and creepy crawlies, so l am glad I don't have snakes here in Aberdeen.
Angie :)
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Thanks Anthony
l am glad I don't have snakes here in Aberdeen.
Angie :)
They're not that far away Angie. Here's a distribution map of adders in the UK. The green squares are where they have been seen and are still present. The red squares are historical.
Cheers
Anthony
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Wow, I never would have placed it as a beetle. Thanks so much for the indentification everyone!! 8)
Angie,
Creepy crawlies aren't so bad. Daddy Longlegs spiders are everywhere here, but they're harmless. Now the redbacks, brown snakes, red bellied black snakes etc are more of a concern. Interestingly, I have no problem at all with snakes, but I hate spiders (except daddy longlegs as they can't hurt us). The big huntsmans are aweful, even though mostly harmless. They move so quickly. (shudder)
Beetles are cool though, particularly those that mimic wasps. Very, very, very cool.
Thanks again everyone. 8)
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What about cicadas Paul, they are the best insect and signal the start of Summer.
I will post some pics from my trip to Queensland early next year, I can not wait to go-even though it will be 35 degreees and 80-95 % humidity, I can almost here the chorus of the cicadas singing now :)
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Stephen are you saying there could be another waxwing eruption? Here, at least in N Ireland, the berry crop this year is huge
No, no sign of an eruption as yet, but it's early yet. Only a dozen observations in Norway over the last week (see map) with the largest flocks around 20-30 (largest red dots on the map). I'll make sure to tell them where to go though. ;)
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Hi Paul, and Anthony.
I may have been correct that that beetle is a longhorn mimic, we have a similar species in New Zealand called Drototelus elegans.
I could not copy the picture so the following link will take you there, notice it also has the white at the end of abdomen, the is a paper by a friend of mine Tony Harris.
http://www.ento.org.nz/nzentomologist/free_issues/NZEnto06_4_1978/Volume%206-4-406-408.pdf
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Hi Paul, and Anthony.
I may have been correct that that beetle is a longhorn mimic, we have a similar species in New Zealand called Drototelus elegans.
I could not copy the picture so the following link will take you there, notice it also has the white at the end of abdomen, the is a paper by a friend of mine Tony Harris.
http://www.ento.org.nz/nzentomologist/free_issues/NZEnto06_4_1978/Volume%206-4-406-408.pdf
That is brilliant Kees. It adds meat to the bones.
Many thanks.
Anthony.
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Hi Anthony & Paul T
Anthony glad to see I don't have any green squares beside me, I have never seen a snake in Scotland, well I tell a lie, I have seen them in pet shops. I wander why they haven't came to the north east area of Scotland ,maybe they have heard its cold here. Thanks for the information, next time I am in the highlands I will look and see if I can see any.
Paul I was cleaning my greenhouse out today and it was full of spiders ( only little ones ) but I had a jacket on with a hood up just in case one fell onto me, I cant imagine what I would do if there was a snake in the corner :o I suppose you would just have to hope it would leave. Post somemore of your creepy crawlies when you have time.
Angie :)
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You don't have to go too far to find adders, Angela! Not too many grass snakes around here,they are harmless, but there are poisonous adders in most moorland areas... Forest of Birse, for example!
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I'd be surprised to see a grass snake in Scotland, anywhere! There have been rumours, but perhaps in the borders? I have seen them between Dunblane and Kilbryde - maybe three miles as the crow flies, but they don't appear to be on our side?
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Angie there is a ready remedy for fear of creepie crawlies. Your fellow Aberdonian uses it all the time. It's so simple too. Just sit in a darkened room with a large amount of chocolate to hand. The fear goes quite quickly and you soon learn to face what were formerly quite frightful creatures.
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Some moths fall when they hear a bat coming but a tiger moth can jam echolocation calls
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/mothjam (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/mothjam)
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The range of the Adder reaches north of the Arctic circle here in Norway, although mainly in the milder coastal areas. Very local in my area though and I've never seen one myself here.
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Hi
Never thought we would have adders so close :o, next time I am walking the dog I will be treading lighter.
Lesley I will try the large amount of chocolate, :) only to see if it works, now I wonder where I can purchase the largest bar of chocolate.
Don't fear bats as we have a lot here I think the pond attracts them but as for those hairy moths, that's creepy.
Angie :)
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If you don't like moths, then avoid the bogon moth migration through Canberra when it happens. We get millions of them. Our Parliament House is a massive light source and they collect in even greater numbers there.... unless they're attracted to all the hot air coming out of it. ;)
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Paul T
Liked that one Paul, our Parliament House is the same not with moths of course but all the hot air that comes out of it. :)
Angie
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Reading the link that Mark supplied about the moth which blocks bats' sonar, I read the relevant word as "echocolate" and thought that must be a term for going without. ;D
Angie, for large blocks, Our Lady of the Cacao Bean will be able to advise you on local suppliers. :D
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Etta, my panther chameleon has laid her fourth batch of eggs. Here's some of pics of three of my Pygmy leaf chameleons (Rhampholeon brevicaudatus).
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Antony, do you/Etta have success in hatching her eggs?
The Pygmy Leaf Chameleons are cuter than a cute thing! The stubby tails are so unlike the long curly grasping ones the bigger types have, aren't they? I can see that this adds to the appropriateness of their name..... do many other types of chameleon have that sort of tail?
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Maggi, I think there are several species of Rhampholeon, plus the smaller Brookesia spp., and they have stumpy tails.
Panther chameleon eggs take in excess of 9 months to hatch, so nothing due until after Christmas?
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Panther chameleon eggs take in excess of 9 months to hatch, so nothing due until after Christmas?
So Etta has produced succeeding clutches of eggs before the first hatch?
edit by Maggi: I have moved some posts off to form this new/renamed thread for Autumn!
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And very leaf-like they are too. They are entirely delightful and VERY cute. :D
Can anyone identify for me please, the rather nasty things in the pic below. I've seen them before under logs and similar places but not in the numbers of yesterday when I lifted a polystyrene tray of plants and found several round groups of them. Being pretty sure they are nothing good, they were given a jug full of boiling water.
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Maggi,
Should we create a separate southern hemisphere topic then? It most definitely isn't autumn 2009 here!! :o
Lesley,
Are they some type of centripede/milipede? I can't quite see them clearly enough in the picture to be sure?
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Without seeing them in close-up, I would say dipteran larvae, perhaps akin to leatherjackets (cranefly larvae).
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I've changed the title of the thread!
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Anthony are the eggs in a plastic container? How does she get to the bottom?
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Yes Mark, just a perspex fish tank. She digs down into the sharp sand several times to find a suitable spot, disappearing completely in a chamber, lays her eggs and then covers them up. I suspect the 6" depth is not enough?
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Are the eggs fertile?
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Anthony & Lesley
Liked Etta, looking forward to Christmas to see her babies :)
Lesley you obviously aren't scared of creepy crawlies :o I would have run a mile, the thought of them makes me cringe, need my chocolate.
Angie
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I made do with a chelsea bun for lunch Angie.
I'm sure there will be more if I remove some more trays so I'll try for a close-up.
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Anthony, your Etta is totally gorgeous!!
I would so love to have one but am too scared of power failures in winter at -30C. I can't see any way I could keep one alive if that happened.
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Are the eggs fertile?
The first batch weren't, but subsequent batches seem OK. I will candle them after the October break.
Etta is back to her bright red colour after egg laying. I won't put Sundance in with her for some while. He is moulting at the moment, but unlike what I was told, maintains his blue colour year round. Thank goodness the tiny pygmy leaf chameleons can be kept as a group, with the eggs hatching in two months in the adults' cage, and at room temperature!
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Anthony, it's wonderful and astonishing what happens in your greenhouse - there is always something hatching 8)
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These are all in my classroom as the greenhouse is now too cold for anything but bulbs. I have just had a 20 Brazilian (no that is not a number greater than a million) Bull's Eye moths hatch (from the spiny caterpillars I had in the summer). I now have dozens of eggs!
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Anthony, as everyone else has said already those pygmies are beautiful. Do you ever rare any sphinx moths? I find these moths fascinating and have a few species from around the world in boxes-pinned that is.
Lesley they are definately fly larvae and as Anthony said they do resemble crane fly larvae, lots of our species live in rotten trees so if you have lots of bush etc around it could warrant that this is what they are.
I once hatched out a brilliant green species but let it go before I took any pics.
I am off to the Farm again in a couple of weekends, my nephew wants me to take him for a bush walk to look for Stag beetles, I will take some pics for you all.
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Anthony,
Any pics of your Bull's Eye moths?
Good luck with the Chameleon eggs.. I hope you get lots of babies, from all your various types. Would be fascinating to raise them.
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Thanks Kees, I'd forgotten there was a local source of creepy information. :) We don't have a lot of bush per se, though there is a huge stand of mixed gorse and manuka at the end of the road, with some Clematis paniculata flowering among it now. We have a lot of gum trees ourselves and pines and various chamaecyparis.
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Here's some pics of the Bull's Eye moths (Automeris naranja). They are looking a bit ragged, as they have been flying and mating for a night or two.
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Sex must be extremely rough :o
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It is Mark, but we still come back for more. ;D
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Thanks for the photos Anthony - ragged they may be but still velvety Moths with those great bulls eye spots 8)
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someone brought me one of these today. You either love them or hate them
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Live and let live, I say.... well, for birds, anyway! Those spotty guys are great for getting the leatherjackets out of the lawn.
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I am with the majority, Etta is a total doll! Anthony, does her 'partner' look the same or are there male/female differences?
Rescued from the main road between Greece and Bulgaria yesetrday afternoon, caterpiller of the convolvulus hawk moth. Not sure why it wanted to cross the road........
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Trying to find a suitable spot to burrow under the ground for pupation? Many caterpillars disperse at this time.
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True Anthony but not sure that will get many laughs!! ;)
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This spider thought a suitable spot was right here! (attached to the gate one side and the wall the other)
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I am with the majority, Etta is a total doll! Anthony, does her 'partner' look the same or are there male/female differences?
Here are pics of Etta and Sundance. She is 12 cm from snout to vent; he is 18 cm and big with it! Compared with the pygmies, they are giants!
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This spider thought a suitable spot was right here! (attached to the gate one side and the wall the other)
Meta segamentata.
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Anthony your photos of Etta and Sundance are so magical with that colouring and marking and it's wonderful to see them in close up climbing :D
Thanks for your ID, the spider 'Meta segamentata' is extraordinary in that it has four long legs and four short - is there a reason for that?
Anyway the spider was just in the way on the gate but the following evidence is more annoying as the fox dug up bulbs just planted, then left a calling card but with Jazzy around maybe has bitten off more than he can chew! The fox photo was taken in the summer.
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Robin your fox looks like it is half way through the moult. Did you have bone meal in with your bulbs?
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Thanks for your ID, the spider 'Meta segamentata' is extraordinary in that it has four long legs and four short - is there a reason for that?
The front legs are designed to enable the spider to run down a thread easily and deal with prey. The rear legs are anchors, or are used to draw silk from their spinnerets
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Robin your fox looks like it is half way through the moult. Did you have bone meal in with your bulbs?
Mark the photo of the fox was taken in the summer, I haven't had problems with them digging bulbs out before but the one that is visiting at the moment definitely thinks this is his patch - he is pooing everywhere! I had no idea that foxes ate bulbs - the one taken was Muscari golden fragrance planted by my rockery - no added bonemeal just freshly dug soil ???
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We saw Autumn Watch last night - it is so exuberant and full of interesting facts and sightings of wildlife. We enjoyed the Red Deer Rut scenes which were quite amazing - and the mouse who got stuck in the birdfeeder after eating too much like Winnie the Pooh ;D
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Yes it's a fanstaic programme. It's on for the next 6 weeks. Normally it would run for 8 days .
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Re : AutumnWatch on BBC- I did not see this but I heard on the Radio that there had been a tragedy among the rutting stags on Mull , which are featured in the programme, when one was killed the other day.
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Titus. He fell off a small cliff while fighting. It's repeated tonight
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8291000/8291710.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8291000/8291710.stm)
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you have missed the repeat
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Hello! (http://forum.tvoysad.ru/images/smilies/bm.gif)
Robin
I wonder foxes eat bulbs! May be it was looking for mouses?
(http://cs1864.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_8d6ad110.jpg)
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Anthony
Etta is a pretty woman! :D My best wishes to her and her aggs.
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Elks in Moscow forest
(http://cs1864.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_60e40768.jpg)
(http://cs1864.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_82e41139.jpg)
(http://cs1864.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_668405bc.jpg)
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Olga, your mooses and mouses are very handsome!! ;D ;)
Robin, fox could be investigating disturbed areas of ground to see if anything tasty is buried, or on the trail of mice. Mind you, given the foxy smell of Fritillaria imperialis bulbs, if any of those wereplanted, he could have been looking for a fight ! :P ::)
Our visiting fox finds these interesting... as he does the Codonopsis..... :-X
I think your beautiful mushrooms must be wildlife,
Olga, they are wearing fur coats! :D ;) ;D .............I have moved Olga's fungi pix to this thread: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4313.0
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Olga your photos are very clear and sharp focus.
There is a pub/night club near me called The Elk. They have a huge statue one their gates of what they thought was an Elk. It's a moose :o
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Mark, Maggi,
I feel a confusion with the words elk and moose but I do not know the difference. My dictionary says it is the same... ???
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Olga, your Elk is a Moose but in North America they have also an Elk which is not a Moose ! Believe me , it is very confusing! Some Elk are big deer, with faces more like red deer, for instance, not with the huge nose and large faces of your Elk/Moose ! Don't worry, someone who can explain this better than I will surely come to help us! ::) 8)
http://www.smouse.force9.co.uk/facts5.htm
http://www.smouse.force9.co.uk/facts.htm
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Olga, your Elk is a Moose but in North America they have also an Elk which is not a Moose ! Believe me , it is very confusing! Some Elk are big deer, with faces more like red deer, for instance, not with the huge nose and large faces of your Elk/Moose ! Don't worry, someone who can explain this better than I will surely come to help us! ::) 8)
http://www.smouse.force9.co.uk/facts5.htm
http://www.smouse.force9.co.uk/facts.htm
Thank you Maggi! I also googled elk and moose and now I understand the difference. Moose is an american animal. Our russian moose horns are as elk's. But it's moose. :D
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Olga, your fungi and lichen photos are absolutely stunning!
Your moose is indeed a moose... it's thin antlers in the photo are only because it is a young male. With more maturity, its antlers will be broad and shovel-like - in other words, moose-like, rather than elk-like.
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Wow Olga- Amazing photos :o
Please show us more...
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I have moved Olga's fungi pix to this thread: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4313.0 8)
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So many wonderful pictures Olga, thanks so much for showing us and sharing thee fabulous creatures.
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Olga,
Fantastic photos. Is that what your local mice look like? They're rather cute with that dark racing stripe down the middle. Cool. 8)
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so, i cant view olga's photos in any of the three threads i have seen them in, but i can see other people's photos in the same threads ???
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Great Avatar, Cohan 8) 8) 8) like the caption, it will certainly apply here too soon :D
Sorry you can't see Olga's photos - she is so talented - hope you resolve your problem
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Great Avatar, Cohan 8) 8) 8) like the caption, it will certainly apply here too soon :D
Sorry you can't see Olga's photos - she is so talented - hope you resolve your problem
thanks :) we are supposed to be up to mid-teens later in the week! will seem balmy after -6 daytime..
still no luck with olga's photos :(
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Cohan
Do you see now?
(http://macroclub.ru/gallery/data/761/thumbs/IMG_5424.jpg)
http://macroclub.ru/gallery/data/761/IMG_5424.jpg
(http://macroclub.ru/gallery/data/761/thumbs/IMG_2507.JPG)
http://macroclub.ru/gallery/data/761/IMG_2507.JPG
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anyone watching the new BBC wildlife programme on BBC1 now?Brilliant start. No doubt they will keep it up. 4 years to make the 10 programmes
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Olga I have not looked at that web site for a very long time. Thanks for the reminder
http://macroclub.ru/gallery (http://macroclub.ru/gallery)
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Olga is there a photo of Narcissus fly on the web site? Merodon equestris or Eumerus tuburculatus?
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Mark
This website is a community of macro-photography lovers. I am not sure there are so special insects.
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Scandalmongers. :)
(http://cs4226.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/93407084/x_d42613ad.jpg)
Elegant destroyer of my Salix. :)
(http://cs4225.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/93407084/x_52abe2d3.jpg)
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Beautiful lizards Olga and I LOVE the dewy caterpillar. Surely worth the Salix leaves to have such a beautiful creature in the garden on a damp day. :)
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Olga,
I love both those pics. The Lizards are just perfect, and the afro on that caterpillar is so cute!! ;D
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How did you get so close to those two Scandalmongers Olga? They move so quickly at the slightest thing....lovely to see two together and the Caterpillar is astonishingly beautiful - which one is it?
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Olga,
beautiful shot of the lizards (Zootoca vivipara; former Lacerta vivipara, Waldeidechse). This is the widest spread lizard in Europe. Noteable, it gets living babies.
Today, in the late afternoon, I was lucky to first hear and then see 5 swarms of cranes (Grus grus, Eurasischer Kranich), total number maybe 200 to 250 birds.
It was quite spectacular to see them spiraling up utilizing last thermal winds to gain height. After reaching enough height (estimated ~500 meter) they changed into energy saving V-shape formation for long distance flights and wandered southwards.
After 10 minutes the spectacle in the sky was over and their shapes and noise faded away in the distance.
It left a good feeling and satisifaction to me to have seen those fascinating birds but also the awareness that autuum and long, dark nights are in front of us. :(
I adore the birds performance and condition to fly 2 times a year thousands of kilometers - how weak are humans in comparison?
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Today, in the late afternoon, I was lucky to first hear and then see 5 swarms of cranes (Grus grus, Eurasischer Kranich), total number maybe 200 to 250 birds.
Hi Armin,
About 4 o'clock I also noticed a first flock of cranes here - unfortunately I only heard their voices but enjoyed it nevertheless. It seems they are very early.
Gerd
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Are the cranes arriving or leaving?
Nothing by comparison - I saw a goose today. A boring Greylag, Anser anser, hhhonk hhhonk
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Gerd,
great to hear this. I believe the relative early time for leaving conditions to the current cold arctic north wind :(
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Armin,
Why can't we leave also?
Southern Spain would be a much better place for the next months ;D
Gerd
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Gerd,
good question - maybe because we have no wings and we can't eat a winter long only acorns ;D
For those who are more interested - I've marked the location where I saw the cranes today.
Yellow: distribution of cranes = breeding area in summer
blue: winter areas
green: main flight routes
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Cranes now breed again in England in the Norfolk Broads
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Mark,
wunderful, good news - it is reported that the number of cranes is increasing :D
while contrary the numbers of storks is still decreasing :'( (loss of habitats, wet meadows ect.)
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Gerd you'd be very welcome in New Zealand and Australia for your winter months. ;D We can do better than acorns for your sustenance too.
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Wish I could show you a picture. Last night on TV we saw a Melbourne woman who has a crocodile as a pet. She was taking it for its daily walk along the street, in a well constructed harness, so no problems with it getting away. The croc looked to be about a metre long. Then she picked it up to cuddle it and had it nuzzling her ear. A terrible risk, I should think but apparently it is very well behaved with regard to human flesh. ;D
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Gerd you'd be very welcome in New Zealand and Australia for your winter months. ;D We can do better than acorns for your sustenance too.
Lesley,
That's very kind. Thank you for this offer. Unfortunately I'm not able to fly as cheap as the cranes do! ;)
Gerd
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Wildlife report chez me:
A few days ago I looked out my kitchen window to behold a deer munching on vegetation - either elephant garlic or peony leaves. I'd been expecting this to happen sooner or later. With the advent of leash laws, dogs no longer run free, and the deer population has exploded, moving into built up areas. If the neighbors were watching, they must have thought I was a mad man as I burst outside yelling at Ms. Deer. She left in a big hurry.
I'd seen a small pile of droppings in the lawn a couple of weeks earlier and had my suspicions. I was uncertain if it was deer or rabbit (former pets dumped at the nearby university and left to breed like...well, like rabbits, and also infiltrating nearby residential areas) but it was clearly some kind of plant-munching organism.
Hopefully, visits from Bambi won't become a regular thing, but if they do, I may have to ask for recipes for venison.
I put up my 3 hummingbird feeders last week after noticing one of the flying hamburgers looking for one of them. One of the feeders is positioned so I can watch it as I work at this computer. Why "flying hamburger"? A well-fed specimen of Anna's hummingbird is a moderately rotund beast for a bird that weighs no more than a dustbunny from under the bed. And it tickles my sense of the incongruous.
I enjoy hummingbirds: they're very feisty little birds. In the spring when the males are squabbling over the females, you get to watch amazing fights in the air, punctuated with their click-click-click-CLICK!!! calls of anger. They're very territorial, so I've had to position the three feeders where the birds can't see two at one time. Otherwise, the dominant male gets worn to a frazzle chasing off interlopers.
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What an exciting life you're leading Rodger. ;D
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What an exciting life you're leading Rodger. ;D
Is that a note of sarcasm hovering in the air, perchance?
Sometimes my life reminds me of the canonical description of life in a Victorian country rectory: real excitement was discovering that another strawberry had ripened during the night.
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Yes, that's what I meant. Ironic rather than sarcastic. :D
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Wow! Just googled for an image of Anna's hummingbird. What a gorgeous little creature!
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Roger do you get Mexican long-nosed bats coming to your hummer feeders? Maybe they dont get as far north as you?
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Happened across this tree frog in the garden today. I don't know its name and can't find my frog book at the moment...
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Roger do you get Mexican long-nosed bats coming to your hummer feeders? Maybe they dont get as far north as you?
According to Peterson, they (Leptonycteris nivalis) only make it into the U.S. in SE Arizona and the Big Bend area, Texas.
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Happened across this tree frog in the garden today. I don't know its name and can't find my frog book at the moment...
nice shot--he seems very pale for all the greenery!
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Rodger, Lesley thanks for that little exchange, the image of Victorian society intently watching for the ripening of strawberries gave me something of a giggle. Was tis an Oscar Wilde quote Rodger, or simply one he would wish to have had attributed to him?
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Rodger, Lesley thanks for that little exchange, the image of Victorian society intently watching for the ripening of strawberries gave me something of a giggle. Was tis an Oscar Wilde quote Rodger, or simply one he would wish to have had attributed to him?
I don't think it's a Wilde aphorism. His bon mots always had a sharper edge than that.
And since I paraphrase the sentiment, Google is no help whatsoever in unearthing the original source.
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Oscar Wilde said, "This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last."
Paddy
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Two Wildisms we particularly liked in a Dublin park.
johnw
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Last night I heard what must have been 100s of redwings, Turdus iliacus, flying over. Just now I saw a huge high flock flying west
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I love the little tree frog. He looks as if he's waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting passer by.
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(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/IMG_4135.jpg)
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/IMG_4131.jpg)
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Dick Newell a common swift enthusiast will be on BBC1 this evening at 7.30pm UK time talking about his nest box projects in the Cambridge area. Unfortunately the programme is only available in England but if you have SKY TV the programme will be on channel 981 at the same time
Dick has nest box projects in church towers where the nest boxes are behind the louvres.
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I first saw this little butterfly in Mallorca in 1990; the South African Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli).
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Last night I heard what must have been 100s of redwings, Turdus iliacus, flying over. Just now I saw a huge high flock flying west
Interesting! Yesterday there was a report of 1,000 Redwings flying over the Norwegian island Utsira (off South West Norway) - on the way over to you no doubt! In our area (further north), this year's migration had stopped the last weeks due to really wet weather, but a high pressure ridge built up yesterday between steady stream of lows passing over Scotland headed our way, allowing safe passage for the Redwings - that's my theory anyway!
We've still been seeing Swallows this last week which is unusual, unable to escape south due to the apalling weather...
For me, the sound of Redwings flying over on their way south on clear autumn nights is one of the characteristic sounds of autumn and I always get a thrill hearing it. Little things please little...
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Good to know that swift enthusiasts are common in the UK. :)
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For me, the sound of Redwings flying over on their way south on clear autumn nights is one of the characteristic sounds of autumn and I always get a thrill hearing it. Little things please little...
Never! Stephen, the joys to be found in the wonder of the natural world are ENORMOUS and should always be lauded as such , I believe! 8)
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Anthony I hope you watched 'Life' tonight!?
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Starlings take food from a prairie dog
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oTjPRtArXbw/R7eQi8xyJ1I/AAAAAAAAAes/R9uv8_uI-bg/s1600-h/funny-picture-1079777786.jpg (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oTjPRtArXbw/R7eQi8xyJ1I/AAAAAAAAAes/R9uv8_uI-bg/s1600-h/funny-picture-1079777786.jpg)
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Howdy All,
A teeny tiny little spider on one of my Acer palmatums the other day. Kept moving around to the opposite side of the branch as I tried to photograph it.... so the photo isn't as closeup as I would have liked. It had tiny spines all over it, for breaking up the outline I would imagine?
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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All I can say is it's a male. ;D
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Excellent picture Paul. Perhaps he's been playing in the gooseberry bushes. :)
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Lesley,
It does look a bit like that. He was a canny little blighter, always zipping around to the other side of the branch when I got the camera in to photograph him. I thought I wasn't going to get any picture that was worthwhile. The whole spider was maybe 1cm long.
Anthony,
Now, do I ask how you know that, or just ask for the punchline? :-\
;D
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Male spiders wear boxing gloves
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Quite correct Mark. They spin a 'hammock' and rub themselves off on the underside, then sook up the deposited semen turkey baster style. They then mate at arms length using said boxing gloves (pedipalps). Each spider species has a unique design of pedipalp (and equivalent epigynum in the female) and is used to identify, especially money spiders. I had to identify 6000 for my honours project! Last year I was at a talk on Falkland Island spiders. The speaker touched briefly on Scottish spiders, saying he'd caught the third specimen on Walckenaeria incisor in Scotland and that the person who'd caught the second was in the audience. ;D The books I was using (British Spiders Vols I & II by Locket and Millidge) actually had the male and female of this species in different genera! Fortunately vol. III (by Locket, Millidge and Merrett) had corrected this!
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So the dark "paddles" on the arms near the mouth of my spider are in fact these palps which we're dicussing? The female I assume would have much smaller paddles, or none at all?
It's fascinating some of things we can learn on here. Good stuff. 8)
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Her's just look like a smaller pair of legs.
Here's a pic of one of the few insect we saw in Ca'n Picafort, Mallorca. An Egyptian grasshopper (Anacridium aegyptium). The second pic shows why! >:(
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Perhaps this will replace the wildlife?
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spraying all insects Anthony?
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spraying all insects Anthony?
Spraying everything, including people! ??? I think it was to keep the mossies down, but I suspect that they would be the only ones that would flourish with all their predators annihilated and their powers to develop resistant strains quickly!? Certainly, the trees that were being sprayed were not a crop on any sort, and were on 'waste' ground. I didn't stick around to see which way the machine went, but compared with 19 years ago, Ca'n Picafort was a wildlife desert.
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What an exciting life you're leading Rodger. ;D
Is that a note of sarcasm hovering in the air, perchance?
Sometimes my life reminds me of the canonical description of life in a Victorian country rectory: real excitement was discovering that another strawberry had ripened during the night.
Sounds like everyday life in Durham mate - I'm extending my shed at the weekend.
Gerry
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It's late to spray insecticides here. Mornings are frosty.
(http://cs1618.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_7852b3bd.jpg)
(http://cs1618.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_e3b1fb0f.jpg)
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Cripes, Gerry. You won the lottery or something? ;D ;D
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Olga superb pictures!
Spraying everything, including people! ??? I think it was to keep the mossies down, but I suspect that they would be the only ones that would flourish with all their predators annihilated and their powers to develop resistant strains quickly!? Certainly, the trees that were being sprayed were not a crop on any sort, and were on 'waste' ground. I didn't stick around to see which way the machine went, but compared with 19 years ago, Ca'n Picafort was a wildlife desert.
mossie [Passer melanurus]?
Can Picafort is one of the popular tourist destinations of Mallorca (only a few decades old) where i would not expect to much wildlife.The surroundings are very rich and some important areas like S“Albufera ( an actual birdlist http://www.mallorcaweb.net/salbufera/llistes/aus1_15oct09.pdf (http://www.mallorcaweb.net/salbufera/llistes/aus1_15oct09.pdf)) and the protected coastal areas ( direction Puerto de Alcudia and Son Serra) there exist a very interesting flora and fauna - I suppose you have visited these areas.
I think the spraying has been done in the area of Can Picafort to "protect" the tourists because of the masses of mosquitoes/midges which appeared because of the hot weather after a week of rainfall . Here nobody sprayed, the midges were really bloodthirstily (and let me remeber in the camping site in Glenbrittle/Skye in summer ;))
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I think if anyone tried to mass spray insecticide in Scotland they would suffer the fate of one William Wallace - hung, drawn and quartered! We have what is called mosquito/midgie repellent (if you remember to put it in your haversack!) to prevent bites. There is even an Avon anti-mosquito factor 15 sunscreen, not to mention the famous 'skin-so-soft'. A friend of mine has a midge killing thing that collects them by the kg. It makes barbecues in his garden bearable! We have mossies here, even in the house, but they meet a sticky end if the spiders don't get them. The unfortunate thing is spraying insecticide is counter productive, as the one species that is best able to selectively breed resistant strains is the mosquito, and with all its predators gone the situation becomes ten times worse!
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I do not think spraying is a common practice (apart of this one picture never seen this before here ::)) - normally the populations of Gambusia affinis keep the Moskitoenumber in a good tolerable dimension.
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Gosh Hans. I didn't know these had been introduced into Mallorca? :o A far more environmentally friendly approach to the mosquito problem, perhaps?
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Are the Gambusia affinis not fresh water fish? I'm surprised there are enough areas of freshwater in Mallorca to sustain enough fish to help the "mozzie" problem.......somehow I always think of the islands as being rather "water poor", if you know what I mean. :-\ :-X
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sunbathing
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/kat-1.jpg)
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/katik-1.jpg)
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Once Malaria was common in the area S' Albufera which has the largest marschland on Mallorca http://www.mallorcaweb.net/salbufera/ (http://www.mallorcaweb.net/salbufera/) - if Gambusia had anything to do in resolving this problem I do not know, but I doubt this species caused any dramatic damages and might be an important source of food for Natrix maura, Emys orbicularis and a lot of birdspecies - on Mallorca did not exist any freshwaterfish before this one was introduced and no native amphibians in this habitat.
Other introduced animals may cause bigger problems.
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Once Malaria was common in the area S' Albufera which has the largest marschland on Mallorca http://www.mallorcaweb.net/salbufera/ (http://www.mallorcaweb.net/salbufera/) - if Gambusia had anything to do in resolving this problem I do not know, but I doubt this species caused any dramatic damages and might be an important source of food for Natrix maura, Emys orbicularis and a lot of birdspecies - on Mallorca did not exist any freshwaterfish before this one was introduced and no native amphibians in this habitat.
Other introduced animals may cause bigger problems.
Quite so Hans. This little fish can survive in tiny volumes of water, and with global warming, malaria may spread north. Aedes aegypti (the mosquito that carries yellow fever) is one of the few species with a distribution that is limited by the winter isotherms and if the northern hemisphere one moves north.....?!!! :o
Here is a glowworm larva crossing the sand near Son Baulo, Mallorca. It feeds on snails, which were plentiful elsewhere, seen here on Asphodelus microcarpus.
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The Caucasus are on TV right now 9pm Sunday. A one hour programme on Sky channel 527
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Thanks, Mark! 8)
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Do you mean the Caucasus Mark?
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Yes. I was over excited and in a hurry to let others know
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Here are a couple of Death's head hawk (Acherontia atropos) larvae feeding on a large prickly solanaceae which had bright orange fruits.
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Very cool caterpillars, Anthony. Fascinating to see the glowworm too.
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I've seen glowing glowworms at night but never the real thing - very handsome in black - how does it actually produce 'the glow' Anthony?
Your photos of Death's head hawk (Acherontia atropos) larvae feeding are great - were you looking for it or did the sunlight catch it and reveal it's perfect camouflage?
Seems you had a really interesting holiday in Mallorca
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Anthony,
a quite rare moth / caterpillar 8), at least valid for Germany. Interesting are the color variations of the caterpillar, from green, yellow to brown, sometimes with more or less markings.
In my youth I found the quite big Death's head hawk caterpillar feeding on potato (solanum tuberosum).
But this is already long time ago... ::)
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I've seen glowing glowworms at night but never the real thing - very handsome in black - how does it actually produce 'the glow' Anthony?
Your photos of Death's head hawk (Acherontia atropos) larvae feeding are great - were you looking for it or did the sunlight catch it and reveal it's perfect camouflage?
Seems you had a really interesting holiday in Mallorca
Robin, it is a chemical reaction which produces a cold light. East of the Rhone you also get the related fireflies, where the male also flashes, and in flight. As there are only a couple of species of glowworm in Europe, they don't need a 'code' and just glow. In the tropics different species flash different patterns of light. There are even predatory mimics that attract prey by copying their flash-pattern.
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There is a glowworm grotto a couple of hours north of here in the Southern Highlands at Bundanoon. I have no idea how widespread they are here in Aus, but I have been to see them at night before up at Bundanoon. Very, very cool. 8)
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There are even predatory mimics that attract prey by copying their flash-pattern
So the purpose of the glow is to attract prey not the opposite sex ::)
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Only in that species. Generally it is a signal to attract a mate.
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Generally it is a signal to attract a mate.
Should it not be a red light then. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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;D ;D ;D
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A few insect shots.
1.A different (golden) colour form of the garden spider.
2. A Ladybird chrysalis
3. Sarracenia food feeding ;)
4.This amorous pair were suddenly consumed by a Heliamphora ;D ( I bet I don't hear any cries of "Shame")
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Here are a couple of Death's head hawk (Acherontia atropos) larvae feeding on a large prickly solanaceae which had bright orange fruits.
They're really well camouflaged aren't they.
Anthony can you tell me anything about fire flies. Anyone who has been to Greece in the summer will remember with pleasure sitting outunder lime trees, and eating/drinking at the local taverna, the fireflies winking all around. We never saw any insect but their lights were charming and very pretty.
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Fred,
Fascinating to see the ladybird chrysalis. I know they must have them (because they have a complete metamorphosis) but I've never seen one before. Thanks so much. All your pics are very cool!! Sounds like you have a nice collection of carnivorous plants too!! 8)
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Here are a couple of Death's head hawk (Acherontia atropos) larvae feeding on a large prickly solanaceae which had bright orange fruits.
They're really well camouflaged aren't they.
Anthony can you tell me anything about fire flies. Anyone who has been to Greece in the summer will remember with pleasure sitting outunder lime trees, and eating/drinking at the local taverna, the fireflies winking all around. We never saw any insect but their lights were charming and very pretty.
The European firefly (Lamprohiza splendidula) is just another species of glow-worm, but the adult male flashes in flight to initiate a response from the wingless females. Tropical ones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly) can be much larger. I have seen ones an inch long in Jamaica and they wizz through the trees like photon torpedoes, unlike the smaller dainty species. Noel Coward's house in Jamaica was named Firefly. I visited it in 1993 when it was still as it had been when Coward died in 1973. The 'room with a view' had two unplayable (then) interlocked grand pianos in it, and his clothes and toiletries were still (supposedly) where he'd left them.
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I used to collect ladybirds at this stage and keep them in lunch boxes so I could see them hatch. They were very plentiful back then
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Thanks Anthony for this information. All very interesting. I hope Coward didn't leave his clothes and toiletries lying around on the piano. In my long gone childhood, the only time my mother really clobbered me was when I put my glass of milk on the piano, a larger than baby but smaller than concert grand. My sister has it now.
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Thanks Anthony for the pics of the sphinx moth caterpillars, I am a sphinx moth fan-as mentioned in a previous post, now any chance of a pic of an adult for us :)
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Thanks Anthony for this information. All very interesting. I hope Coward didn't leave his clothes and toiletries lying around on the piano. In my long gone childhood, the only time my mother really clobbered me was when I put my glass of milk on the piano, a larger than baby but smaller than concert grand. My sister has it now.
No, clothes in the wardrobe and toiletries in the bathroom. :)
Thanks Anthony for the pics of the sphinx moth caterpillars, I am a sphinx moth fan-as mentioned in a previous post, now any chance of a pic of an adult for us :)
Watch this space. ;D
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Elks... Mooses... Oh! ;D
(http://cs1262.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/97713647/x_cc765386.jpg)
(http://cs1262.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/97713647/x_88ec339d.jpg)
(http://cs1262.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/97713647/x_53e409bf.jpg)
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Wonderful moments captured by you Olga 8)
Did anyone see the new BBC wildlife programme 'Life' last night? Blown away by the sheer beauty of Nature in the raw and the fantastic scenes caught by cameramen/sound/production experts topped off by David Attenborough's commentary - totally thrilling to watch 8)
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British television at it's very best, Robin ... they have all been tremendous.
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British television at it's very best, Robin ... they have all been tremendous.
How many have I missed Cliff :o
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Two
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Thanks for the info Mark, will hope you can download them at a future date, shame to have missed such special TV amongst the :P
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There is a glowworm grotto a couple of hours north of here in the Southern Highlands at Bundanoon. I have no idea how widespread they are here in Aus, but I have been to see them at night before up at Bundanoon. Very, very cool. 8)
Is this a relation of the New Zealand Glowworm (Arachnocampa luminosa)? See http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx (http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx). I visited this cave many years ago - absolutely fascinating insect which fishes for its prey using light as a bait. See also http://www.waitomo.com/Waitomo-glow-worm.aspx (http://www.waitomo.com/Waitomo-glow-worm.aspx)
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Yes, it seems the Australian one is also an Archnocampa spp. - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnocampa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnocampa)
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I really should make the effort to see the Waitomo caves. I've always put it off as I'm a bit claustrophobic. Quite a lot actually. Passed up an opportunity to see the Janolan caves in NSW for the same reason. :-[
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British television at it's very best, Robin ... they have all been tremendous.
So probably won't be shown here then. >:(
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They all come out on DVD quite quickly.
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Stephen,
Yes, my idea of a glowworm is a little creature that produces sticky threads then lures unsuspecting prey into their clutches to eat them! I didn't realise that overseas the glowworms are fireflies (or I think that is how I've read the other comments in this topic)?
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Paul: The Glowworms I've seen in the UK are beetles. You see them out in the open. I've seen them twice in the UK - on the Dorset and Argyll coasts.
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Hi Lesley
You definately dont need to go to Waitomo for a good display, I have been there and Te Anau and the displays are fantastic but we have a lot of glowworms around Dunedin, Leith Valley near the camping ground is a good spot, you walk up the path by the creek-the Leith and there are cliffs on the right hand side, all along there there are glow worms. As a kid I went light trapping there for Lepidoptera and quite often I was wanderng around looking for the glow worms.
As for the northen hemisphere I to always thought these to be beetles, I have never seen them but would like to one day.
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Paul: The Glowworms I've seen in the UK are beetles. You see them out in the open. I've seen them twice in the UK - on the Dorset and Argyll coasts.
I've seen them a couple of times on Ben Ledi (a mountain just north of Callander, Perthshire) on the night of the longest day and on the island of Cumbrae, off Largs, Ayrshire. Also, near Christchurch, Dorset in the 1970s (it was in Hampshire then).
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Cripes, Gerry. You won the lottery or something? ;D ;D
Its finished, after two days of my son and his mate working from 'dawn' [11.00] till about 6.30. I now have an 11.5 ft shed ;D
I could've done it quicker myself, but young people need something to do 8)
Gerry
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...but think of it as work experience, Gerry, they will never forget it! Our son was put to task on post and rail fencing for the whole of summer holidays - he now does his own carpentry!
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...but think of it as work experience, Gerry, they will never forget it! Our son was put to task on post and rail fencing for the whole of summer holidays - he now does his own carpentry!
I paid them; happily not on an hourly rate ::)
Gerry
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Hi Lesley
You definately dont need to go to Waitomo for a good display, I have been there and Te Anau and the displays are fantastic but we have a lot of glowworms around Dunedin, Leith Valley near the camping ground is a good spot, you walk up the path by the creek-the Leith and there are cliffs on the right hand side, all along there there are glow worms. As a kid I went light trapping there for Lepidoptera and quite often I was wanderng around looking for the glow worms.
Kees, that's good to know and maybe I'll go looking in the summer, on some dark night. Or perhaps a warm night would be best? Dunedin is so fortunate to have so much bush around, green areas, wetland, even mountains and lakes that there is an amazing selection of wildlife within walking distance, let alone the penguins, seals, albatrosses etc all there for a short drive.
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Sigh. You make me want to visit, Lesley! ::) I enjoyed NZ when I visited there with my family in my teens (Dad was most amused to find that the hospital he was born in was now a nursing home! ;D). I can't remember whether we made it to Dunedin or not. but we did both islands (separate year for each). Was a truly breathtaking place, NZ. Wish I could afford to go back for another visit. :'(
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Anyone able to put a name to these little fellas - apart from caterpillars, of course? :D Image taken in the Dolomites - of course! ::)
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Looks like Eriogaster arbusculae?
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The caterpillars look much nicer then the moth :D
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I don't know, I rather like the eggar moths. 8)
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Bulgaria calling Anthony, any ideas for this grasshopper? ???
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Acrida ungarica, which can also be green.
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Many thanks Anthony, nice to put a name to it!
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I do like Cliff's caterpillars. It's only the top, the bottom and the outer left hand specimens that show how hairy they are. I suppose they dine on Potentilla nitida and Ranunculus glacialis? ;D
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Please NOTE: November thread is now divided off from this one!