Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: TheOnionMan on October 06, 2010, 04:38:04 AM
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I attended a college campus tour this past weekend (for my younger daughter considering this school) at the University of Massachusetts in the lovely town of Amherst in Central Massachusetts (2 hour drive from my house), this 25,000 student campus referred to as UMASS Amherst. The tour groups were large that day, 100 or so people in each of three groups, on an idyllic sunny autumn New England day. At one point, the whole group stopped, as there was a very large and handsome hawk sitting on a bush as very close proximity... people started taking pictures. I had my daughter's camera, and the %$#@*&! thing takes 20 seconds to turn on, allow selecting an image "menu type", and then go though its in-and-out-and-back-in-again autofocus thingy, and at 19 seconds I tried to snap a pic and the majestic bird jumps to the ground, and I missed it... curses!
But I was able to snap this photo of the hawk on the ground, a bit less dramatic a pose.
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Food for McMark's hawk? While traversing a rather scenic part of the southern Cape recently, we encountered this perky little creature which insisted on sharing my chicken sandwich! It did not seem to mind eating its cousin in the least :P
It's a Cape Robin-Chat, and if that's not enough of a mouthful, it's scientific name is Cossypha caffra - a very common little bird with a beautiful song.
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Asp...iration?
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An amazing picture Cliff - a Cobra Lily. 8)
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An amazing picture Cliff - a Cobra Lily. 8)
... or a snake's-head fritillary? :D Thanks Rogan!
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Took a pear of the tree but was to hard to eat but as you can see it wasn't wasted.
Angie :)
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Amazing that red admirals are still around. That pear must have been juicier than you thought Angie as butterflies can only take in liquids. I don't think many survive the winter in Scotland? Peacocks and small tortoiseshells will be hibernating now, or at least they should be.
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Anthony excuse my ignorance but do the red admirals just die off. I noticed a lot of dead ones in my polytunnel this afternoon.
Angie :)
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It's one of these debates that has not been resolved. Some may find their way south, some may even rest up and survive the winter, but I suspect most just die. Painted ladies (I've seen none this year - even though last year was one of the best on record) are more prone to migration and have been seen crossing the channel in the autumn. Both species have their strongholds around the Mediterranean and there are waves of migration north in the spring.
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In Culzean Castle Gardens last week, there were many Red Admirals and a few Small Tortoiseshell butterflies in the herbaceous border. The Red Admirals were in pristine condition and must have newly hatched.
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I haven't seen many butterflies recently but have not been out much since August 1st. I did see a Peacock and a Small Tortoiseshell earlier this week. There are still lots of Silver Y moths with Bumble bees and Hover flies on the sedums. 'Matrona' is a favourite. On a warm day this week I spotted many Honey bees on Crocus pulchellus which is continuing on its bid to cover the whole garden.
I remember a few years ago we must have had a long warm Autumn (pre 2007 when I got my digital camera) I counted at least 25 Red Admiral butterflies on Ivy flowers on either the last day of October or the first day of November.
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Thanks Anthony I wasn't sure what the Red admirals would do. I have heard that we are going to get a cold winter again so maybe I could just follow them across the channel.
Only a couple on the pear today.
Angie :)
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An Admiral still going strong up here as well and some Silver Y's...
Painted Ladies: haven't seen any this year myself. Our web reporting system for insects gives 50 sightings last year, but only 5 this year in our county...
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Amazing that red admirals are still around.
A warm dry day here today and there were eleven red admirals on the michaelmas daisies.Not seen many butterflies this year and so it was a delight.
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Had a number of these flies in the greenhouse today. This one is eating the pollen on Crocus goulimyi mani white. Others were on the sternbergia's.Also quite a lot flying about the garden.
I would like to know what they are and are they a problem?
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A drone fly Tony, which is a honey bee mimic - would you pick one up - that is one of the good guys, being a vital pollinator? The larvae are rat-tailed maggots and are indicators of polluted water.
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Anthony
thank you I knew you would know. Yes at first I thought they were bees on the flowers but when they were flying/hovering their legs dangled beneath them. They have just appeared in numbers today.
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An image captured this afternoon ...
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At work we have lots of tortoishell butterflies only >:( but many silver Ys, a long strange brown moth/fly with long antenas and every morning lots of angle shade moths
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Your strange brown mothy thing sounds like a caddis fly mark, but I may be wrong?
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This chook wandered into my yard a couple of days ago. The photo is taken from my kitchen through an open door. They have not really established themselves in the wild round here as it is not prime habitat for them. A lot are raised and then released into the wild so people can shoot them. He is possibly looking for a ladybut he might be lucky.
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Let's hope he is not lucky David. They are the bane of our life, Tulips and other bulbs regularly dug out of the garden! :-X >:( :-\ :'(
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Brian,
Are you allowed to eat them or do you need to be a member of the landed gentry?
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My lips are sealed ;) ;D
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Aster pilosus is flowering (the flowers wafting an enticing aroma of vanilla cookies for many meters away), enticing to butterflies and bees. Here is a small orange butterfly, anyone know what it is?
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We call that a Large butterfly Mark. ::) It is an American painted lady (Vanessa virginiensis).
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We call that a Large butterfly Mark. ::) It is an American painted lady (Vanessa virginiensis).
Blooms on Aster pilosus are tiny, this is a small butterfly. The UK must have nano-butterflies if you think this is a large butterfly ::) ::)
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à propos large or small butterflies.... it is a source of annoyance to me that many "bug" sites which do have some otherwise good photos and information of such creatures have no reference whatsoever to size and scale.... infuriating! >:(
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à propos large or small butterflies.... it is a source of annoyance to me that many "bug" sites which do have some otherwise good photos and information of such creatures have no reference whatsoever to size and scale.... infuriating! >:(
Too true Maggi. It is around 2 to 2½" (getting on for the size of a peacock butterfly) so I consider it big by UK standards. Put it another way, there is no butterfly bigger than a peacock in Scotland!
This site is interesting and has one on a finger for comparison.
http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/american-lady-butterfly-vanessa.html
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Good link, Anthony, thanks.
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I just looked up caddis fly. You are correct
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Anyone know the identity of this moth, resting on the front door last night?
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Anyone know the identity of this moth, resting on the front door last night?
Swordgrass (Xylena exsoleta) Stephen. It hibernates as an adult moth.
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my garden very popular in the butterfly community in this year
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/rcs.jpg)
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/lepe.jpg)
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/pvaszem.jpg)
but they do not have patient to stay in line for a photo ;D (http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/kere.jpg)
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Put it another way, there is no butterfly bigger than a peacock in Scotland!
I'd get freaked out if I saw one bigger than a sparrow!
;D
cheers
fermi
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Peacocks in the pics above Fermi. ;D
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Anyone know the identity of this moth, resting on the front door last night?
Swordgrass (Xylena exsoleta) Stephen. It hibernates as an adult moth.
Thanks, Anthony. However, it must be Xylena vetusta, Red Sword-grass as exsoleta isn't found in this area...
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Anyone know the identity of this moth, resting on the front door last night?
Swordgrass (Xylena exsoleta) Stephen. It hibernates as an adult moth.
The camoflage is brilliant
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There was a hatch of something in my town today or maybe something brought out of hibernation because of the 18c clear blue sky. Starlings were hawking for something all day
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This afternoon was warmer and sunnier than I expected from the weather forecast.
One peacock butterfly is still around.
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Just come back from a holiday in Scotland and north Northumberland. I am a keen birder (birdwatcher) and was surprised to be still seeing Swallows so far north at this time of year. I saw a couple in Scotland but what really surprised me was at least 25 of these birds at the b and b i was staying at in Northumberland on 9th with at least 15 the following day as i was departing.
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This afternoon was warmer and sunnier than I expected from the weather forecast.
One peacock butterfly is still around.
I looked in the 'shed' on my walk this morning and there are two peacocks and a small tortoiseshell in hibernation. One of the former and the latter haven't budged since I last looked a couple of weeks ago.
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Just come back from a holiday in Scotland and north Northumberland. I am a keen birder (birdwatcher) and was surprised to be still seeing Swallows so far north at this time of year. I saw a couple in Scotland but what really surprised me was at least 25 of these birds at the b and b i was staying at in Northumberland on 9th with at least 15 the following day as i was departing.
Hi Gary I thought all the swallows had left but yesterday there were six flying above the pond.
I was surprised seeing them still in Aberdeen.
Roma I to didn't expect to see the sun today , busy in the garden cutting down all the herbaceous plants and along came a robin to keep me company, followed by a frog and then a mouse. I love being alone in my garden but I don't mind sharing my time with these little fellows.
Angie :)
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à propos large or small butterflies.... it is a source of annoyance to me that many "bug" sites which do have some otherwise good photos and information of such creatures have no reference whatsoever to size and scale.... infuriating! >:(
Too true Maggi. It is around 2 to 2½" (getting on for the size of a peacock butterfly) so I consider it big by UK standards. Put it another way, there is no butterfly bigger than a peacock in Scotland!
This site is interesting and has one on a finger for comparison.
http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/american-lady-butterfly-vanessa.html
Thanks Anthony, an excellent informative link. Some more views today. At one point this butterfly landed on my camera shutter finger! They flit about quite suddenly and fast, most erratic, to resettle on a particular flower. I also notice they are bold, and quick to chase a large bumble-bee for its preferred position or flower.
Included are two view of Aster pilosus intermingled with Aster cordifolius flowers, and bumble bees. The large Aster pilosus "bush" is about 5' wide x 6' tall, at any given moment on this warm sunny day must have been 30 bumble bees on it, and hundreds of honey bees and some wasps and other pollinators, and just one pair of American painted ladies.
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Oh, yes asters are very magnetic for them. I plan to get more in my garden
Blooming Sedums are the same for them and the Caryopteris
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I was moving some pots and found this rather nice spider. I sure it is a female.
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I was moving some pots and found this rather nice spider. I sure it is a female.
Shapely legs anyway, David! :D
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Just come back from a holiday in Scotland and north Northumberland. I am a keen birder (birdwatcher) and was surprised to be still seeing Swallows so far north at this time of year. I saw a couple in Scotland but what really surprised me was at least 25 of these birds at the b and b i was staying at in Northumberland on 9th with at least 15 the following day as i was departing.
Still a few hanging around up here too. Even a couple of sightings north of the arctic circle over the last couple of days! Not really unusual though. Swallows can still have young in the nest well into the autumn. Last year there was even a record in this area of adults feeding 4 large young in the nest on 24th October, so I guess late sightings are these late breeders and the last young of the year and some probably don't make it...
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Dave's little spider (or should that be Dave Lyttle's spider?) looks like a Dolomedes sp., but they tend to be aquatic, living near water and trapping insects that fall in the water.
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Thanks Antony,
I googled the name and was able to identify it as Dolomedes minor, the nursery web spider. It builds its nurseries on vegetation and is reasonably common round here.
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Have a tootle over to the wildlife section of the Forum of our Friends in the Flemish Rock Garden Club to see a great series of photos of a Humming Bird Hawk moth in flight, approaching a monkshood (aconitum) flower .... the pix are by Frankie Wulleman and the last in the series is my favourite ......
http://www.vrvforum.be/forum/index.php?topic=57.msg4475#msg4475
I should add, on the previous page to the series of moth pix, Frankie has a lovely shot of his cat sharing a dinner date with a hedgehog. :D
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Very nice. I love the cat and hedgehog shot. ;D
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Yes, I liked that.... always nice to have friends round for a meal, isn't it? ;)
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I was moving some pots and found this rather nice spider. I sure it is a female.
Shapely legs anyway, David! :D
The legs may be shapely but they're little too hairy for my liking.... :P
Dolomedes minor, the nursery web spider.....
Hmmm, makes it sound so innocent and caring, doesn't it? Why am I not convinced? :-\
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Dolomedes minor sounds like the name of some swot in a Billy Bunter book! The female great raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius) from the fens of eastern England has a leg span of about 7cm and D. minor is not much less impressive at 6cm, so why minor? Perhaps it is smaller than the NZ fishing spider (D.aquaticus)?
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(http://kephost.hu/image-B44F_4CA6F509.jpg) an unnamed
would you help me to found his name?
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Heliconius erato, and you won't find that in your garden as it's South American! 8)
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I've been watching the India/Australia test match this week and wondering how they avoid the dozens of huge dragonflies that can be seen on every close-up shot!?
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Thank you Anthony, the photo was taken in the Zoo's butterfly garden
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I love those butterflies. They have very short larval stages (two weeks) but the butterflies live for months. They supplement nectar with pollen, which they breakdown using some liquid on their proboscis. The pollen adds protein to their diet, necessary for longevity.
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Thank you, it is an interesting information
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Dolomedes minor sounds like the name of some swot in a Billy Bunter book! The female great raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius) from the fens of eastern England has a leg span of about 7cm and D. minor is not much less impressive at 6cm, so why minor? Perhaps it is smaller than the NZ fishing spider (D.aquaticus)?
Here is a link to Dolomedes aquaticus http://www.nzgeographic.co.nz/articles.php?ID=241 (http://www.nzgeographic.co.nz/articles.php?ID=241)
Antony, maybe you have already found it.
Maggi, It really is a lovely furry spider quite unlike the big fat slow ones that are usually found under my pots. My daughters were never very keen on helping me to pot plants as they kept finding these spiders.
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Several large skeins of geese passed over my house today. Here are three of them. Many years ago I remember watching a TV programme with Peter Scott firing rocket propelled nets to trap and ring these birds when they landed in a field.
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Fascinating pictures Anthony, that's a lot of honking! ;D
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They don't honk that much Rogan. Down wind, perhaps?
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A clear sign NH winter is on the way Anthony... I hope to see soon some flocks of cranes in my area again.
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Some more geese passed over my house again today. One skein heading back north! :o
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Some more geese passed over my house again today. One skein heading back north! :o
Let's have a gander, Anthony? :D
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Sunny frosty morning...
(http://cs9257.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/45874243/x_994ed994.jpg)
(http://cs9257.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/45874243/x_0bb5ddf1.jpg)
(http://cs9257.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/45874243/x_413a0e7b.jpg)
Rainbow after snowing
(http://cs10597.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/45874243/x_6ec0aa57.jpg)
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A clear sign NH winter is on the way Anthony... I hope to see soon some flocks of cranes in my area again.
Cranes are common breeding birds in this area and large autumn flocks gather on agricultural land, sometimes over 500! The largest flocks seem to have left in the second half of September, and the last was seen about 1 week ago, so they are on their way.
Incidentally, the first Waxwings have arrived - always brigthens up the dark autumn days...
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Often see geese heading north here in the winter. They fly north in the morning to feed and fly south again at night to their roost.
Spotted this cheeky chap in my garden just before lunch time today.
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Feeling the temperature today, Winter cannot be far off. A few miles inland from me, the geese arrived about a week ago. Yesterday there were 143 Greylags, 5 Barnacle geese including one totally white leucistic bird, 1 Pinkfoot and 300+ Canada Geese.
The Solway coast at Caerlaverock had at least 10,000 Barnacle Geese but surprisingly no Whooper Swans as yet. With the wind setting from the North, we can expect them sometime during this week. We have a local population of 60/100 birds wintering in our locality and I will be looking out for them arriving.
The not very good picture is of a Spotted Redshank, (Tringa erythropus), looking nothing like its name would indicate. This was also at Caerlaverock feeding up after the journey from Arctic Norway
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Lovely frosty photos, Olga. It's getting cold here, too. We had -5 C last night. Today is a nice sunny day and the hoverflies are queing up for a meal.
Crocus speciosus and hoverflies
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A clear sign NH winter is on the way Anthony... I hope to see soon some flocks of cranes in my area again.
Cranes are common breeding birds in this area and large autumn flocks gather on agricultural land, sometimes over 500! The largest flocks seem to have left in the second half of September, and the last was seen about 1 week ago, so they are on their way.
Incidentally, the first Waxwings have arrived - always brigthens up the dark autumn days...
Stephen,
I expect some cranes to pass over here E/October to mid November!
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Roma, that's a distinctly domestic looking bunny. Some poor child is probably heart broken :'(
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that's a distinctly domestic looking bunny. Some poor child is probably heart broken
I suspect not, Martin... all over the county there are colonies of black bunnies. These have either escaped or been set loose and have found a happy home in the wild. There are certain areas where one can almost always be sure of spotting a few, mixed in with the usual grey rabbits and with a selection of mixed colours trwon in showing the progress of the gene mixing!
When I first saw black bunnies like this in the fields I thought as you did that some child was missing a pet..... then I realised that it was too much of a coincidence that only black bunnies were escaping or being chucked out ( and that does happen)- it seems the black ones not only adapt well to feral life but the colour gene is quite prominent.
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When I first saw black bunnies like this in the fields I thought as you did that some child was missing a pet..... then I realised that it was too much of a coincidence that only black bunnies were escaping or being chucked out ( and that does happen)- it seems the black ones not only adapt well to feral life but the colour gene is quite prominent.
On some of the Scottish Islands it is common to see black rabbits, and I thought it is to do with inbreeding of melanistic genes. Isn't it the case with pheasants as well?
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Plenty of black bunnies around the Dunblane, Bridge of Allan area. Falkirk too.
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Martin, there have been black bunnies in the wild population here as long as I can remember (well over 50 years). There was one in the field where my ponies were grazing early last summer. I watched it grow from a baby to an adult then it died from myxomatosis which has been been quite common here in the last few years and has kept the population in check. A few local cats, buzzards and foxes try their best but cannot keep up with the rate of breeding.
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When I first saw black bunnies like this in the fields I thought as you did that some child was missing a pet..... then I realised that it was too much of a coincidence that only black bunnies were escaping or being chucked out ( and that does happen)- it seems the black ones not only adapt well to feral life but the colour gene is quite prominent.
On some of the Scottish Islands it is common to see black rabbits, and I thought it is to do with inbreeding of melanistic genes. Isn't it the case with pheasants as well?
I think that is surely the case there, Diane..... the occurrence of parti-coloured "Dutch" and "english" type bunnies in the populations I describe suggests that the colour breaks there are more due to the hand of man. :-X
I think the black ones persist, "down the line" because of the natural predispositon for those melanistic genes
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Well, you do learn something new every day. How I've managed to go 56 years without seeing one in the wild is incredible. I've actually seen more Scottish wild cats! More = 2, which is verging on miraculous.
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To be sure, one Scottish Wildcat must be worth at least a hundred black rabbits. :o
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We get black rabbits fairly frequently around here. There were reports of black squirrels but I've not seen any.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-561946/The-pack-mutant-black-squirrels-giving-Britains-grey-population-taste-medicine.html
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A couple of Sundays ago I watched a quartet of swans swimming up the Forth past Cambuskenneth near Stirling. Three mute and one Australian black. They had moved to Alloa by Sunday.
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In the feral rabbit populations here I have seen black bunnies (most common colour variation) blue bunnies ( more a slaty grey) and once in a remote alpine valley ginger bunnies. The latter seemed to be in high numbers and were running around with normal bunnies. At the time we were not allowed to keep domestic rabbits so these colour variants arose spontaneously in wild populations.
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Anthony,
Are the occurrences of "wild" black swans common now? I'm assuming that over the years quite a number have escaped, but have they ever added to the gene pool? Do white and black interbreed?
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I don't think they interbreed Paul, but we don't usually see them outside parks. It was interesting to hear from a colleague that he'd seen the quartet a week after me. I suspect it's just a group of young bachelors?
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9 mute swans flew overhead this morning in a V like geese - a spectacular sight! :)
So many swans on the river it has been an extraordinary year for survival of cygnets
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I am wondering how wild my black rabbit really is. It sat on the grass this morning and watched me come down the steps and into the car. As I have not chased it, it maybe just does not feel threatened. It's been eating my crocus flowers so its days may be numbered.
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Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run! :o
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I thought it might've been the Black Rabbit of Inlé!
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I thought it might've been the Black Rabbit of Inlé!
Its eyes are too bright Fermi! 8)
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Out doing a bat survey yesterday I looked at this house for evidence of bats using it. Bat droppings in most rooms and lots of hibernating butterflies. They were too high to ID
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Out doing a bat survey yesterday I looked at this house for evidence of bats using it. Bat droppings in most rooms and lots of hibernating butterflies. They were too high to ID
Smaller with pale band near edge of wing would be small tortoiseshell; larger and almost black would be peacock. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xt-JYFWfAuo/RwfdLt1EyyI/AAAAAAAABtA/92x_y0zlOVM/s400/peacock8012.jpg
Unlikely to be anything else Mark.
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/78/78FB6B5E-62ED-4B5F-A55D-841BDE6F213A/Presentation.Thumb/Small-tortoiseshell-butterfly-hibernating-covered-in-dew.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.arkive.org/small-tortoiseshell/aglais-urticae/images.html&usg=__eATZftq3fqUIamEHkrYxCGQkHJs=&h=80&w=118&sz=5&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=EExyHtOOwElwlM:&tbnh=60&tbnw=88&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhibernating%2Btortoiseshell%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1
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This little chap certainly chose a bright perch.
Paddy
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Found the black rabbit lying dead yesterday at the edge of the garden no more than 3 metres from the front door. I noticed it about 2.30 and my husband had seen it there when he went off shopping about half an hour previously. I did not see it when I was out between 11.30 and 12 and my husband had not noticed it about that time either. I did not examine it closely but it showed no obvious sign of injury. I don't think it would have come that far off the road to die if it had been hit by a car and I would have thought a predator (cat or buzzard, not a fox near the house in daylight) would take it away.
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Hi Roma
Nice to look at bunnies but me being a animal lover never thought I would see the day I killed an animal :'( but after weeks of attempting to catch the little chap he left me no alternative but to get rid of him. I couldn't believe the damage one rabbit could do. When it came to my plants or one rabbit there was no debate, he had to go.
Saved you having to do it Roma.
Hope you are much better.
Angie :)
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Paddy is the lizard in your garden?
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Doesn't look right Mark.
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Paddy is the lizard in your garden?
Paddy has just got back from Madeira ... there may be a clue there! ;)
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We had a woodcock on our patio at the weekend. We were very surprised. :o I think it was too.
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Paddy is the lizard in your garden?
Mark,
As Cliff said, the photograph was taken in Madeira. Great sense of heat in it I thought. These little lizards were everywhere, in and out of crevices in rocks and walls. This fellow was about two metres above ground on this shrub.
Paddy
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Lacerta dugesii, the Madeiran wall lizard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWVxieG8Z-0
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That's just the one, Anthony.
Here's a photograph to show the area where the shot was taken.
Paddy
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A few from Majorca last week ...
Beetle
Spider (3 off)
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Angie, having a similar rabbit problem, which means of dispatch did you use?
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Mega-swarms of common European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) swept through my yard and neighborhood today, must have been several thousand birds. For 10 minutes or so several neighbors and I stood and watched the spectacle, with almost deafening chatter (the birds, not the neighbors ;D), and amazing simultaneous sudden bursts of flight as they react reflexively in mass-mode, with thunderous flutter of thousands of wings beating at once... amazing.
My entry-level Nikon is good for certain types of photos, but is miserable on action photograph, and after snapping dozens of shots, only this one view is even worth showing.
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Angie, having a similar rabbit problem, which means of dispatch did you use?
One shot :-X sorry. I bought a two traps and this rabbit never went near them. I tied everything trying to chase it out the garden, near enough killed me so this was my last resort. I love animals and even if I knock something down I have to go back and see if it's dead and not suffering. Silly really but I couldn't get on with my day wondering if it was hurt. I hope you get rid of the rabbit as I watched this rabbit get bigger and bigger and my plants getting smaller and smaller. Good luck.
Cliff that looks a really big spider. Scary.
Angie :)
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Ah, Jeepers, Cliff. It's a sad life - you went to Majorca and all you could find to look at were spiders. I went to Madeira and photographed lizards. What does this say about us.
Good shots, though - your spiders.
Mark, these flying displays from the starlings are seen regularly here in autumn/winter but I don't ever recall seeing them flying so low. Quite amazing.
Paddy
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McMark,
impressive image. Which berries/seed did they fed?
Every year 'flying squads', consisting of hundreds of starlings, overrun the Cornus sanguinea shrubs of my neighbourhood. In a hurry they pick as much as possible of the blue ripe berries which seem to be one of their favourites.
The whole spectacle lasts only a few seconds and the complete 'gang' takes off in order to come back and to repeat the invasion a couple of minutes later until the last berry has gone.
One has to be careful not to be bombed with bluish stuff ::) ;D
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Mark, these flying displays from the starlings are seen regularly here in autumn/winter but I don't ever recall seeing them flying so low. Quite amazing.
Paddy
Maybe a thousand starlings landed on the road, but most were over the small crest of the road in this new view; lacking a decent zoom lens on this camera meant every time I tried to get close, they all flew off. But the coolest thing was after that many birds landed on the road, a car came approached the crest of the hill, it slowed down to a near stop as clouds of starlings were startled.
Armin, they weren't eating... just a frenzied mass migration, landing in the tall oaks and maples all around.
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Mark, your starling problem started in Central Park, New York, in 1890 when some idiot decided to release 60! Something to do with trying to introduce all the birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare into his local neighbourhood. ::)
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Ah, Jeepers, Cliff. It's a sad life - you went to Majorca and all you could find to look at were spiders. I went to Madeira and photographed lizards. What does this say about us.
Good shots, though - your spiders.
Paddy
Bear with me Paddy ... bear with me ...!!! ;) ;) ;)
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Mark, your starling problem started in Central Park, New York, in 1890 when some idiot decided to release 60! Something to do with trying to introduce all the birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare into his local neighbourhood. ::)
Anthony,
the name of the idiot was Eugene Schieffelin and was the chairman of the American Acclimatization Society. The society was founded 1871 with the objective to introduce animals from Europe in the USA.
The first 60 were (imported) from England. Now they are more then 200 Mio. in the US.
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Jings! I thought the population of brush-tailed possums now living in New Zealand, having been introduced in 1858, was large! There are now over 70 million of them and they get through 35,000 tonnes of vegetation per day. That's 12 million tonnes per year. :o Still nothing compared with the numbers of passenger pigeons in the USA in the early 19th century. One flock could be upwards of 1 billion birds!
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Ah, Jeepers, Cliff. It's a sad life - you went to Majorca and all you could find to look at were spiders. I went to Madeira and photographed lizards. What does this say about us.
Good shots, though - your spiders.
Paddy
Bear with me Paddy ... bear with me ...!!! ;) ;) ;)
OK, Cliff, so we can expect some of your lovely photographs to show the flora on your visit. Which reminds me that I must organise my photographs and make one of those "gardens I visited" posts.
Paddy
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Quote from: ranunculus on October 27, 2010, 08:53:36 PM
Bear with me Paddy ... bear with me ...!!!
I'm expecting photos of the rare Mallorcan Bear..... or is that Hans A ;D ;) :D ;D
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OK, Cliff, so we can expect some of your lovely photographs to show the flora on your visit. Which reminds me that I must organise my photographs and make one of those "gardens I visited" posts.
Paddy
[/quote]
You can read me like a booker, Paddy!
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Quote from: ranunculus on October 27, 2010, 08:53:36 PM
Bear with me Paddy ... bear with me ...!!!
I'm expecting photos of the rare Mallorcan Bear..... or is that Hans A ;D ;) :D ;D
The even rarer Three-legged seagull, Maggi ... watch this space!
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Hi Maggi et al,
These rare seagulls were spotted on the walls of the magnificent (free) Visitors Centre (and aquarium) of the Cabrera National Park at Ses Salines. This superb building and resource is certainly worth a visit and features a sizeable conical inner structure covered with murals that relate to the history, nature and art of the region.
The octopus images were captured, not as you might imagine in the aquarium mentioned above, but in the shallow waters of a bay on the west coast of the island ... our first ever sighting of an octopus in the wild, this magnificent creature crept along underneath our gaze and hung around for at least two or three minutes before disappearing into the safety of deeper waters.
SES SALINES
OCTOPUS
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Mark are you sure they are European starlings? Their tails look very long. Could they be feeding on squashed acorns and maple seeds?
I like the sound of sizzling starlings
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Mark are you sure they are European starlings? Their tails look very long. Could they be feeding on squashed acorns and maple seeds?
I like the sound of sizzling starlings
I'm fairly sure that's what they are. They could be eating squashed acorns and maple seeds, although it really does seem that they move in a mass migratory frenzy, never staying put for more than a few moments, and then off again. When there are smaller groups, they do indeed come to feast on various fruits and berries.
I like the sound of sizzling starlings too, when they're deep frying ;D Actually, their collective chatter in such mass swarms is an experience to listen to.
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Your birds are definitely not starlings, Mark (though there might be the odd one mixed in). They're blackbirds... can't say which species without closer photos to see colours of iridescence and eye colour. The various species of blackbirds are native and some migrate in large flocks.
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I agree with Lori. Although the picture is too small to be certain, the majority of the birds look like members of the Thrush or Blackbird family. A few look like Starlings but the posture is wrong for the majority of the birds. I would like to see a much larger picture at max. Mb. so it could be enlarged for a closer look. Whatever they are, it's a pretty good picture.
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according to Autumn Watch an invasion of waxwings has started - very exciting
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Two waxwings on Shetland somewhere http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?mode=potw&rty=0&r=1&v=1&off=273034 (http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?mode=potw&rty=0&r=1&v=1&off=273034)
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Stunning photos in that link, Mark.
Ian saw the first Waxwings just along the road from here on Monday. About 40 to 50 of them.
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I agree with Lori. Although the picture is too small to be certain, the majority of the birds look like members of the Thrush or Blackbird family. A few look like Starlings but the posture is wrong for the majority of the birds. I would like to see a much larger picture at max. Mb. so it could be enlarged for a closer look. Whatever they are, it's a pretty good picture.
Pardon me for differing, but the birds in Mark's photos are North American blackbirds, which are Icterids, rather than thrushes. E.g. Brewer's or Rusty Blackbirds in migration.
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I agree with Lori. Although the picture is too small to be certain, the majority of the birds look like members of the Thrush or Blackbird family. A few look like Starlings but the posture is wrong for the majority of the birds. I would like to see a much larger picture at max. Mb. so it could be enlarged for a closer look. Whatever they are, it's a pretty good picture.
Pardon me for differing, but the birds in Mark's photos are North American blackbirds, which are Icterids, rather than thrushes. E.g. Brewer's or Rusty Blackbirds in migration.
Thanks Lori, shows you what I know about birds, almost nada! :-[
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I agree with Lori. Although the picture is too small to be certain, the majority of the birds look like members of the Thrush or Blackbird family. A few look like Starlings but the posture is wrong for the majority of the birds. I would like to see a much larger picture at max. Mb. so it could be enlarged for a closer look. Whatever they are, it's a pretty good picture.
Pardon me for differing, but the birds in Mark's photos are North American blackbirds, which are Icterids, rather than thrushes. E.g. Brewer's or Rusty Blackbirds in migration.
So not blackbirds as we know them but grackles.
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...... the problems of explorers calling new birds after birds at home
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Sorry again, but not grackles (though those are North American Icterids)... The birds in the photo have the shape and proportions of Brewer's or Rusty Blackbirds, rather than the longer-tailed proportions of the 3* North American grackle species.
(I should have been much more expansive in my first comment, rather than just jumping in and out as I have done!)
*Or at least it was 3 species at the time that we were rabid birders... birds get lumped and split just like plants, and I have not always kept up!
Edit: Yes, it is still 3 grackle species - 2 of those would not be seen in Mark's area anyway.
Brewer's Blackbird = Euphagus cyanocephalus
Rusty Blackbird = Euphagus carolinus
I can't make out any red epaulets on Mark's birds so they don't apear to be Red-winged blackbirds, nor Yellow-headed Blackbirds (the males of which are as the name suggests). The females (and immatures) of both Red-winged and Yellow-headed are distinctly different from the males and I don't see any such birds in the flock, so it suggests an all-black species.... hence Brewer's or Rusty. The shapes, postures and tail length work for them also.
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Sigh... wrote a detailed message, hit the Post button, and the message vaporized, and I broke my own rule of always copying-&-pasting to a text window the body of any forum messages I draft, just in case... so no backup after it hung. Hate when that happens... so a shorter response here the 2nd time around.
Lori, I believe you're right with Rusty Blackbird being the correct ID. I include 2 scanned images from the Peterson Guide to the Eastern Birds (USA), showing that bird, and the corresponding migration map. Little ol' coastal Massachusetts is in direct southerly flight path for these birds migration. I marked a red dot on the map to indicate where I'm located.
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Waxwings? Only about 200 seen on my bike ride to work this morning...
The picture shows all observations in October this year in Norway, the largest two dots representing flocks of over 1,000 birds. A few days ago a massive 3,000 were recorded at Egersund in the far south west of Norway just over the pond from Scotland....
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...... the problems of explorers calling new birds after birds at home
I don't really have a problem with that Mark. Look at Robins, for instance. In Jamaica a robin is a tiny green bird with a red breast. In the US it is a thrush, or should that be 'blackbird'? Or are our blackbirds really thrushes? I do have a problem with the wrong species turning up in the wrong country such as the American robin in Mary Poppins. ::)
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starlings vs blackbirds - thanks for the lesson.
I love this forum! ;D
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In Jamaica a robin is a tiny green bird with a red breast. In the US it is a thrush, or should that be 'blackbird'? Or are our blackbirds really thrushes?
Yes, it's the same old "common names" problem as with plants!
Or are our blackbirds really thrushes? I do have a problem with the wrong species turning up in the wrong country such as the American robin in Mary Poppins. ::)
And what about movie soundtracks where bird calls are added in, presumably for "atmosphere"? I'm always amazed to contemplate how those nonmigratory rock and willow ptarmigans made it down to the jungles of Central America... not to mention the kookaburras... Recently heard SW US canyon wrens in the deserts around Jerusalem as well. Quite astonishing. ;D
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and loons/great northern divers in scary movies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loon)
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Loons get all over the place. Quines too! ;D
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???
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Men and women in Aberdonian, Mark. ;D
And what about movie soundtracks where bird calls are added in, presumably for "atmosphere"? I'm always amazed to contemplate how those nonmigratory rock and willow ptarmigans made it down to the jungles of Central America... not to mention the kookaburras... Recently heard SW US canyon wrens in the deserts around Jerusalem as well. Quite astonishing. ;D
They had to stop the canned bird song on the US open golf because ornithologists were complaining about it for that very reason Lori! I must admit I did like seeing shots of sea otters in the last US tournament televised here. They were real!
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Lads and Lassies, Boys and Girls, in the Doric tongue of Scotland, Mark .
This from a Scotsman newspaper article: "Quine, or quene, is used nowadays as a word for girl or young woman. The earliest written record of the word is from 1617, according to the Dictionary of the Scottish Tongue (DOST), when it was used to describe a servant girl. Whilst loon is now used to mean boy, it dates back to at least the 1450s in DOST, where it was recorded as "loun" meaning "a worthless person".The quines and loons of old Aberdeen are mainly a friendly bunch and have given us no end of salutations which are in common use. "Fit like" means "how are you?" But it is important to remember not to be effusive in your reply as it pays to be understated. The correct answer to "fit like?" is "nae bad" or "not bad". "
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Thanks. How does a non Scot say quine and quene?
I hate canned and dubbed bird sounds. Only this week a flock of flying eider ducks on TV had the wing sound of swans dubbed in.
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quine as in whine, with a 'K' sound in front ;)
Almost like kwine ::)
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The Swedish word for woman is kvinna :).
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Did anyone see Autumn Watch this week? They touched on the waxwing invasion and had a waxwing wing in the studio. The wax tips are simply red quill tips. You live and learn.
... and that lovely whooper swan in the studio - I want one!
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quine as in whine, with a 'K' sound in front ;)
Almost like kwine ::)
i.e. just like it's supposed to given the spelling quine. ;D We won't get into the practice of adding 'ie' to the ends of these words as that got a certain member of the Beechgrove Garden team into trouble a few years ago.
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I just saw a very mangy coyote running down the street, that probably came up from the river. I've only seen one other up here in the neighborhood, despite only being a few blocks away from the river bottom. It's very likely to get hit by a car on the busy road it was heading for... but then again, it would probably have a hard time making it through the winter with such a poor coat. :-\
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This tufarock exposed on the terrace is pretty much a rock garden on his own to be there already are over 15 different species. But the blackbirds have discovered the stone and find their pleasure in newly planted seedlings to pick out. Recently there was a young specimen of a Draba mollissima from his 'cave' binned. Now I have a sentry placed in the form of this Rody. The huge eyes are apparently enough to blackbirds at bay. ;D
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I checked the forester's shed on my afternoon walk today. Three peacocks and one small tortoiseshell hibernating. They stand a better chance than the one flying around Dunblane Cathedral this morning.
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If anyone has not seen waxwings yet they seem to be turning up everwhere though often move on. They are colourful once you see them in good light but you could miss them in other situations eg flying overhead. They look like starlings in flight and often sit right in the tops of trees when they alight. A high pitched trilling sound often alerts you to their presence. Bushes with red berries eg hawthorn or cotoneaster, especially near water - even puddles - are good places to look. So far the biggest flock I have heard of is 2,000 in the Aberdeen area.
SdP
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They've certainly hit central Scotland, being seen in Grangemouth and Dunblane this week. I have been told the berry crop has failed in Scandinavia? We have a bumper crop this year.
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I was watching some at Dunoon, Argyllshire last Saturday. They were directly opposite the ferry terminal. The surprising theme of this year's irruption is that they are all over the western seaboard of Scotland including the Outer Hebrides.
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I have never seen any. :'( Just one would be great :)
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Graham my guess is you have seen them but didnt realise. Once seen never forgotten and I cant wait for the first reports from N Ireland
http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,26637,26871,27113,27219,27284,27357,27393&xhr=t&q=waxwing&cp=5&rlz=1R2ADFA_enGB368&wrapid=tljp128873723708408&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1276&bih=635[/size]]http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,26637,26871,27113,27219,27284,27357,27393&xhr=t&q=waxwing&cp=5&rlz=1R2ADFA_enGB368&wrapid=tljp128873723708408&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1276&bih=635 (http://[size=10pt)
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They'll be around Graham. Grangemouth is not far from Embra.
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Good news! After many deaths of sea eagles, golden eagle and red kites from poisoning the Irish government has banned putting out poisoned bait for foxes
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Usually in my travels about the province I see a couple of blue jays darting across the road. Today I drove from Halifax to Berwick in the Annapolis Valley and back, about 250km. There were blue jays on the side of the road and then flying off into the woods. I lost track at +/- 140. I have never seen this event before. What on earth are they up to at this time of year and why so abundant?
johnw
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gathering acorns and stashing them
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gathering acorns and stashing them
Mark - So you are sayong they are hiding them in the gravel at the roadside's edge? Certainly no oaks within 100ft or more of the roads. ???
In the city we often find peanuts in the shell and sunflowers seeds poked into the bristly covering on the trunks of the Fan Palms.
johnw
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In answer to the request to see waxwings in the Edinburgh area I hear there were 150 at Echline Avenue, South Queensferry, this morning
Stan
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possibly, John
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Mark, I saw this tiny bird in the park at the end of my new 35x zoom and was astonished it is recognisable but having thought it was a Dipper I'm not sure.... I always think of you when bird watching and it comes with a Happy birthday for greeting for yesterday :)
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Looks like a Wagtail Robin
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It's a grey wagtail but now that I look again it seems a bit pale
Thanks for the birthday greeting
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grey wagtails
small problem with the link. I can see it in modify but not when I post it
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Thanks for the ID everyone, I have never noticed the yellow rump on a Wagtail before and couldn't see the length of tail 8)
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http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?mode=search&sp=118004&rty=0&r=1&v=0&off=272994 (http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?mode=search&sp=118004&rty=0&r=1&v=0&off=272994)
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Looks like a Wagtail Robin
Never heard of a Wagtail Robin, Martin! ( ... or, for that matter, a Wagtail Robin Martin)! :D :D :D
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Quite honestly I had no idea there were so may types of Wagtail but am now up to speed through your great link for ID Mark. Some terrific shots of them Mark and I realise that the one more familiar is the Pied Wagtail which frequented our garden for years.
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The link is great
At the bottom of this page is simple search where you can find photos of all birds featured on the web site
http://www.birdguides.com/iris/default.asp?menu=menu_media (http://www.birdguides.com/iris/default.asp?menu=menu_media)