Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: johnw on March 02, 2012, 01:24:52 AM
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Big bug needs a good home, island preferred.
A fascinating story and check out the video too.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/02/24/147367644/six-legged-giant-finds-secret-hideaway-hides-for-80-years (http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/02/24/147367644/six-legged-giant-finds-secret-hideaway-hides-for-80-years)
johnw
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John :o
Did you remember to warn Maggi that gigantic bugs would be on display!
This may cost you chocolate!
Nonetheless, an amazing story and not one I'd heard about despite living in Australia!
cheers
fermi
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Fascinating indeed. Made my day!
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John :o
Did you remember to warn Maggi that gigantic bugs would be on display!
This may cost you chocolate!
Nonetheless, an amazing story and not one I'd heard about despite living in Australia!
cheers
fermi
No, he did not! :o
This will be expensive JW.... very expensive :(
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Our friend Isobel found a strange clump.... about a tennis ball sized mass..... of an unknown "beast" in her garden yesterday. (Aberdeen N.E. Scotland)
The creatures are tiny, white wrigglers.... approx. 7mm long by 1mm wide.
Can anyone ID them? Look like some sort of maggot, I suppose... :-\
We thought it unusual to find such a large mass of them.
Click on the pictures to see the full ( horrible !) detail......
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Here are two "portrait" shots of the darn things..... which may aid ID....
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Maggi - If those maggots were pay back then we're even according to my records.
johnw
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Maggi - If those maggots were pay back then we're even according to my records.
johnw
damn and drat!
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This is one shot I can't claim, this one comes from the camera of MrsG.
They're normally very shy of people.
Moorhen
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Nice shot Fred sorry Mrs G.Are you off to Scotland this year?
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We will be on several occasions Dave.
Not just yet though, I'm still recovering from my encounter with the staff at King's Mill.
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This is one shot I can't claim, this one comes from the camera of MrsG.
They're normally very shy of people.
Moorhen
Come to Linlithgow loch fredg - they are not shy here!
A few pics taken round the loch yesterday
1. Moorhen nest up a tree
2. Some of the numerous tufted ducks
3. Californian wood duck - presumably an escapee from a collection
4. One of the 4 pairs of resident great crested grebes. Not a brilliant shot, but including it to show the proximity of the loch to the town
5. A different pair of grebes
6 & 7 The same pair nest building
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Come to Linlithgow loch fredg - they are not shy here!
Perhaps it's me?
I've suspected this for some time :P
Sorry about the quality on this photo, the subject was very shy and kept diving.
It was a matter of just snapping whenever it surfaced in the reeds.
ID anyone?
It looks like a Great Crested Grebe but even in winter plumage that has a black head
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Definitely a Great Crested Grebe type thingy, Fred. ;)
The head may not be quite as dark as you expecting on the crown either because it is moulting, and just coming into breeding plumage, or it may be one of last year's youngsters which have a striped head and which is only now about to get it's first adult plumage.
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Podiceps cristatus juvenile ..thats my guess //Jonny
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Strangely, we had a moorhen in our garden last week. It spent some time trying to balance with its huge feet on top of the greenhouse. The following morning there was an oil slick on the pond.
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Anne are you calling the moorhen greasy? Does anyone call them water hens?
Great Crested grebes and moorhens nesting already! This is early I would have thought
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Has everyone with ponds got frog spawn by now?
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Maybe.....just need to drill thru 40cm of ice first to check............
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Dozens of frogs last Thursday, none this weekend and no spawn yet.
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I got some tags this week.
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Tags for what, Anthony?
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For butterflies Mark. :o
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Our friend Isobel found a strange clump.... about a tennis ball sized mass..... of an unknown "beast" in her garden yesterday. (Aberdeen N.E. Scotland)
The creatures are tiny, white wrigglers.... approx. 7mm long by 1mm wide.
Can anyone ID them? Look like some sort of maggot, I suppose... :-\
We thought it unusual to find such a large mass of them.
Click on the pictures to see the full ( horrible !) detail......
No ideas on what these things are?
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Where in the garden were they Maggi? Compost heap, lawn, flower bed? They must be in a very moist place I would think, or some sort of decaying organic matter,! :o
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Isobel found them in some loose, mossy soil, near a hedge base. She was tidying... found a tennis ball sized "clump" of wrigglers..... :o
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I'm thinking Fungus Gnats or a close relative. Certainly some sort of midge or gnat for my money, ;)
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https://sharepoint.cahnrs.wsu.edu/blogs/urbanhort/archive/2011/01/04/bounce-%E2%80%93-it%E2%80%99s-not-just-a-fabric-softening-sheet-.aspx (https://sharepoint.cahnrs.wsu.edu/blogs/urbanhort/archive/2011/01/04/bounce-%E2%80%93-it%E2%80%99s-not-just-a-fabric-softening-sheet-.aspx)
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Thanks Ron... .think you've nailed that.
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2009/12/21/aggregation-of-fungus-gnat-larvae/
Yuck!
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They seem to be about three times as big as fungus gnat larvae?
Yes, tags for monarch butterflies.
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http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/Pests/FungusGnatLarvae.php
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/seedbank/seedgermguide.htm
The beasties in these pages from the two links above are around 3mm long.... but on this next link they are shown as up to 6mm which is more the size "ours" are...... [perhaps the Aberdeen ones are a little older and better fed...... :-\
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/Insects/O&T/flowers/note29/note29.html
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Anthony &Lesley et al., have you ever visited the Fungus Gnat, Arachnocampa ? It must be quite a sight! ;D ;D
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Anthony &Lesley et al., have you ever visited the Fungus Gnat, Arachnocampa ? It must be quite a sight! ;D ;D
Oh yes. The glowworm caves are spectacular. 8) I suppose, if I went out after dark, I could find them not far away as any damp, dark gully will be suitable?
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Amazing. I find the flora and fauna of caves absolutely fascinating, ;D. Another world! 8)
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This is one of our local finches, Neochmia temporalis, a red-browed firetail or "red bum", ;D
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I don't always read the Wildlife threads so someone may've already put in this link to the Eagle owl in "slow-mo" - I found it amazing!
http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/ (http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/)
cheers
fermi
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Pukekos can only be described as moorhens on steroids. We have a superabundance of them around here and they are quite tame. Spot the youngster.
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Pukekos can only be described as moorhens on steroids. We have a superabundance of them around here and they are quite tame. Spot the youngster.
"Spot" seems a silly name for a young bird ;D
Clue - look for the shadow!
cheers
fermi
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There was a couple, with their granddaughter, feeding the pukekoes and ducks with bread (fortunately brown bread) and it was interesting to see one of the adult pukekoes slowly walk away with a piece in its beak. A couple of young pukekoes would then spot this and frantically swim across to get fed.
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Things are starting to hot up in the butterfly world as the arrival of spring awakens many species who have spent the winter months hidden away.
Butterfly Conservation is giving away FREE membership to celebrate the start of the butterfly season.
Join free for a whole year* and discover more about butterflies, moths and why their presence in the countryside is so important for the environment.
Join today and we will send you a welcome pack containing a set of collectable postcards, a car sticker and our in-house magazine, Butterfly.
All new members also receive species identification and gardening information, to help you attract and enjoy butterflies all summer long.
Your local branch will welcome you to join in with events and activities in your area, introducing you to some of the species beyond your garden fence.
When you sign up you will need to set up a direct debit. No payment will be taken until the end of your free year. We will write to you a month before your renewal is due to remind you and if you don't want to continue your membership at that time just let us know.
Join now
using the promotional code BBCFREE1
*Offer valid until 30 March 2012 for new members only on completion of a direct debit
https://butterfly-conservation.org/membership/283/membership.html?promo=BBCFREE1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Butterfly+Conservation&utm_campaign=1210746_Copy+of+Spring+membership+offer+for+BBC+participants&dm_i=DGT,PY7U,2MVZF0,23C76,1
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A little bigger than a butterfly -
At least one wild wolf has been visiting Oslo (Norway) and taken a dog! It is not the first time however, that wolves visit the capital although I never saw any when I lived there :(
Here's the unfortunate dog: (Norwegian elkhound)
(http://static.vg.no/uploaded/image/2012/3/6/ulvedrap.jpg)
from http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/artikkel.php?artid=10061395
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My goodness. Mean wolf! No mercy shown!
Here's my third monarch tagged, just before release. The next pic is of the Chinese paper wasp Polistes chinensis, which arrived in Auckland in 1979. What it has in its mandibles are the remains of a small monarch caterpillar. The wasp just leaves the gut and its contents behind! :P Once the caterpillar reaches full size it is safe from the wasp, but not the springbok mantis. Birds do not touch them. That's not because there are no birds. They are distasteful and potentially lethal. Birds in the garden go for mantids and cicadas. I watched this caterpillar cut through the main vein of the leaf to stem the flow of sap into the leaf (Monarch pics 1 & 2). The sap is like latex and would gum up its mandibles, interfering with its ability to eat, and perhaps giving it too big a dose of the toxins found in the food plant. Once it has finished cutting the leaf droops and the caterpillar turns round and eats the leaf in less than an hour (Monarch pics 3 & 4). Half and hour later it's on its next leaf (Monarch pic 5).
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Trond, OMG, wolfs! :o Poor dog! :(
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Trond, OMG, wolfs! :o Poor dog! :(
The owner said he was sorry for the dog but it was of old age and had a heroic death! He also said he hoped the wolf could live and that he would be happy to see it some day!
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Do you breed the Monarchs yourself Anthony?
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Trond, OMG, wolfs! :o Poor dog! :(
The owner said he was sorry for the dog but it was of old age and had a heroic death! He also said he hoped the wolf could live and that he would be happy to see it some day!
I admire him very much.
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Good attitude.
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Do you breed the Monarchs yourself Anthony?
No point Ron. If I cage a swan plant I end up with so many larvae I struggle to feed them. Last time I ended up with more than 2 dozen larvae and it killed my big plant. The butterflies are quite common round here and I've got some seeds of more substantial milkweeds, such as Asclepias syriaca, which may help in the future?
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Understood. I had the same problem when I set up a ' butterfly farm' in Taiwan. Never enough Aristolochia!!
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Understood. I had the same problem when I set up a 'butterfly farm' in Taiwan. Never enough Aristolochia!!
A friend of mine (Jan Pasternak) was commissioned to set up a butterfly farm in Bali. 9/11 put paid to that as the backers pulled out. The problem with birdwings and Aristolochia is the annoying habit of the final instar larvae chewing through the woody stem at the base, killing the vine. This happened when Edinburgh Butterfly House was breeding Ornithoptera priamus using Aristolochia trilobata and A. triangularis. Taiwan must have been an interesting venture?
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Trond, OMG, wolfs! :o Poor dog! :(
The owner said he was sorry for the dog but it was of old age and had a heroic death! He also said he hoped the wolf could live and that he would be happy to see it some day!
He is right. May be it's the best death for very old dog. But the fact is shocking me. Wolfs come to people's habitation. :o
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Has anyone seen the photo of 10s of wolves shot in USA or Canada? It's shocking. Many of the wolves carry satelite transmitters
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shhhh!
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Bum bee?
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I've been watching these bees in my garden now for the past few months. I also saw them last year during the summer, but only now have I identified the species. It is the European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum), which was first seen in Napier and Nelson in 2006 and Auckland in 2008. They are quite common here. The males are territorial and can hover, waiting to pounce on the smaller females.
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Anthony,
They're very wasp-like, aren't they? The closeup pic I would have thought was a wasp, although a very furry chunky one. ;D
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I'm with you on that one Paul. Not sure what the sharp end of one of these is like? ??? They are quite brutal to others of their kind! :o
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er.... Probably sharp? :P
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;D ;D ;D
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Wildfowl from todays perambulation.
1 & 2 A duck ??? The only one there with this plumage. ID?
3 & 4 Great Crested Grebe. Several present, all at distance. :(
5 & 6 Mandarins. They're back ;D ( No 6 by MrsG )
7 & 8 Greylags Both by MrsG :D ;D
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I think that if that duck was a dog, we'd be calling it a mongrel. ;)
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Interesting colour form. Serrated beak rather than teeth in the goose.
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Serrated beak rather than teeth in the goose.
Shhhhhhhhhhh he may hear :o :o :o
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Happy St Patricks Day
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vAgSF2SVRCI#![/youtube]
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What a mover! Now we just need a line of lady gulls giving us a tern.
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This gull is "paddling" for worms. It simulates rain, which brings worms to the surface and onto the grass. It didn't seem to be very effective. Needs to practise more?
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Here are a couple of moths that have turned up in the last few days. The first was by the front door lights and is a self-introduced pest the tropical armyworm (Spodoptera litura). The second, which was in my fly trap so, like yellow admirals, is attracted to ripe banana. It is the northern wattle moth (Dasipodia cymatodes) and is from Australia. The Māori, who knew the wattle moth from the odd one blown in across the Tasman before wattle trees were first planted in New Zealand, believed they were returning spirits of ancestors and called it pepe kēhue, pepe atua and para kori tāua. It is also known as the owl, moon or peacock moth.
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Pictures from today's perambulation ;D
1 A pussy willow type thingy whatsit. ???
2 & 3 Great Crested Grebe. I have to post these, it's such a change to get one at a decent distance.
4 Nessie?
5 & 6 Doing that springtime stuff ::)
7 Different plumage ducky
8 A different different plumage ducky :o
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different duck is a Mallard mongrel with a farm duck
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unshaven earthworms (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10793961) under Auckland :o
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Sweet. 8) I'll look out for them. Thanks Ashley.
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Surely the more important informational link is just to the right of this one ??? ???. The missing link between Diptera and H sapiens 'Essexis' DISCOVERED !
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Maybe listen for them Anthony ;)
I've heard that the giant earthworms in Gippsland, Megascolides australis, make an audible noise under the soil but have no idea whether it's true.
The missing link between Diptera and H sapiens 'Essexis' DISCOVERED !
;D
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Oh dear, my humour is bad today. I have visions of Anthony sitting in his garden listening for giant flatulent earthworms (I'm assuming that would make them audible! ;D) that are hairy and glow in the dark. :P
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Not a very good picture but these three deer are having their afternoon nap. They are in the field in front of my house every day. They never move, even with all the drilling and hammering happening at my house just now. Just shows these animals are so used to human activity.
Angie :)
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Here's a bit of an enigma.
For the past few weeks we have been finding black droppings behind various tubs and the wheelie bins.
They're too small to be cat and too large ( I hope) to be rat.
Always deposited on concrete and against a wall ( even one 2 bricks high).
Any ideas?
Photographic evidence can be supplied if necessary ::)
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Hedgehogs do the strangest things........
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I thought that Maggi but MrsG says it wouldn't get under the gate to the wheelie bins.
( Makes note.... measure the gap under said gate)
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I thought that Maggi but MrsG says it wouldn't get under the gate to the wheelie bins.
( Makes note.... measure the gap under said gate)
Yup, hedgehogs do the strangest things.
Far be it from me to disagree with Mrs G.... but I think it's still a possibility. Perhaps the photo is needed, she said, in trepidation........ :-\ :-X
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The gap under the gate is a maximum 6cm.
MrsG informs me that the droppings pictured are medium.
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Believe it or not, I have a field guide published in the 1960s for identification of British mammals by their tracks, bones (useful for owl pellets) and er.. droppings. They look like hedgehog droppings to me. ;)
Bear in mind that the hedgehog would not have to go under the gate, they are supposed to be good climbers also.
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A Hedgehog could get through a 6 cm gap.
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Thank you Lady and Gentlemen.
It looks like I have a very well fed Hedgehog or more.
I'll be on Hedgy alert now ;D
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I just saved the eggs from green Frogs in our basin
Last year all the embryo's where eaten by salamanders
This year I was faster ;D
The salamander in my hand walked in our house
the frogs I saved from the road
they continued "working" ::)
Roland
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Thank you Lady and Gentlemen.
It looks like I have a very well fed Hedgehog or more.
I'll be on Hedgy alert now ;D
Yup, that's hedghog poo.
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I just saved the eggs from green Frogs in our basin
Last year all the embryo's where eaten by salamanders
This year I was faster ;D
The salamander in my hand walked in our house
the frogs I saved from the road
they continued "working" ::)
Roland
Very smart looking Salmander 8)
Roland, how will you protect the egss and embryos from being eaten .... ???
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Looks like a great crested newt.
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Coming back from feeding the ponies this morning I spotted a female Siskin gathering a beakful of horsehair to line her nest. She had quite a moustache by the time I got close enough for her to fly away. All the local birds have nice soft horsehair linings to their nests.
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I think it's great how those big frogs always carry the smaller ones around to help them ;D
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Don't often see them like this on land. Toads often give each other lifts over quite large distances. ;D
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Maggie
I leave them in the crates the first few weeks
fresh water can come in
but the holes are to small for salamanders
The one on my hand was a The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt (Triturus cristatus) :o
I have also some Fire Belly Newts (Cynops), or Fire Newts
and a lot of very small unidentified ones (these are the ones I saw eating the frogspawn)
Fred
I found always that woman have a hard live ;D
R
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Hedgehogs do the strangest things........
Do they also nip the leaves of ferny dicentra and corydalis?
There's a few little heaps every morning ::)
We're beginning to think we have a drift of hedgehogs, surely just one can't process that many droppings in one night :o
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You may well have several hedghogs inthe area, Fred, though they can be quite territorial at times.
But... believe me, the caapacity of the hedghog's digestive system to process and expel waste is second to none. Anyone who has kept a hedghog for any length of time, as I have (to nurse sick ones back to health or to feed up individuals too small to hibernate safely) will tell you that the amount of mess they make is beyond any match with their size. These critters can poo for Britain! :P
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Hedgehogs seem to be able to poo for New Zealand too! :o Alas, most of the ones I see suffer from mange, which can result in the spines coming of as the skin cracks. A terrible site, but easily cured with treatment.
I hear these little crickets, which are less than 1 cm long, quite often but rarely see them. At this time of year the large black crickets are chirping, but this one is much quieter. This one was on the house wall. It is the small field cricket or rirerire, one of the four Bobilla spp.
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Good luck to Hector's dolphins, fighting back in NZ, we hope 8) 8)
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17492146
Quote:
Hector's dolphins living off the coast of Christchurch, New Zealand have benefitted from the area's special designation, say scientists.
Researchers studied the animals, one of the world's most endangered species of dolphin, for 21 years.
Their results show that the survival rate of the dolphins has increased by 5.4% since the Marine Protection Area (MPA) was declared.
The findings are published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
"This is the first evidence that Marine Protected Areas can be effective for marine mammals. We found a significant improvement in the survival rate," said Dr Liz Slooten from the University of Otago who undertook the research.
In 1988 the Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary was established in the hope that resident dolphins would be protected from fatalities associated with the gillnet and trawling activities of the fishing industry.
A team of ecologists conducted regular photo identification of the dolphins for 21 years, starting two years before the area was officially protected.
"The MPA hasn't quite yet 'saved' the dolphins but it's been a major step in the right direction. ”
Dr Liz Slooten University of Otago, New Zealand
"We can identify individual dolphins from their battle scars - which range from small nicks out of the dorsal fin to major scarring following shark attacks," explained Dr Slooten.
The researchers used the photographs to create a population model; with this they were able to analyse how the animals had fared over two decades.
"Estimating population changes in marine mammals is challenging, often requiring many years of research to produce data accurate enough to detect these kinds of biological changes," said Dr Slooten.
"It seems to take a long time for a dolphin population to respond to protection, and therefore a long-term study to detect [any] improvement."
'Not safe yet'
The teams models suggested that the dolphins' survival rate had increased by 5.4% - a positive result but not what the team had expected.
"At first, we were surprised that the survival rates had not increased further," said Dr Slooten, "Once the Banks Peninsula area was protected, we had expected the problem to be solved and the population to be healthy and recovering."
Hector's dolphins are one of the world's smallest species, reaching up to 1.5m long
They have a characteristic black dorsal fin, which, researchers have noted, resembles Mickey Mouse's ear
Fewer than 7,500 animals remain in the wild
The team found that the dolphins did not spend the whole year in the protected area, which reached four nautical miles offshore.
In the winter, more than half the dolphins were found up to 16 nautical miles outside of the MPA.
"The dolphins don't care how far offshore they are, their distribution relates to water depth," Dr Slooten explained.
The New Zealand government is now considering whether to extend MPAs where Hector's dolphins are found.
"The good news is that the situation has improved. The population was doing a nose-dive, declining at 6% per year, and now it's only declining slowly [at] about 1% per year," said Dr Slooten.
"The bad news is that the protected area is still too small. It would need to be extended further offshore to allow the population to stop declining and better still to grow and recover towards its original population size."
"The MPA hasn't quite yet 'saved' the dolphins but it's been a major step in the right direction."
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New Zealand has several rare small dolphins that hug the coast. Hector's numbers in the low thousands, but Māui’s (Cephalorhynchus hectori maui), which is the sub-species found between Dargaville and New Plymouth of the west coast of the North Island has an estimated population of 111.
I've now tagged 14 monarch's that have been caught in the garden. HAG052 has stayed with me feeding on my Lantana. HAG062 was tagged this morning egg laying on my swan plants. Clearly not put out by her ordeal as she went back to egg laying! The web site www.mb.org.nz will tell anyone spotting the butterfly how to report its whereabouts if they see it.
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Darn it, they're a bit early this year.
1. First sighting of Lilioceris lilii this afternoon.
Unfortunately for the poor little thing ::) it suffered a catastrophic sandwich collision with the sole of my shoe and the ground very shortly after the photo was taken. ;D
2. Bug type thingy, all of 3mm, one for Anthony I think.
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Your leaf hopper could be Empoasca sp. Fred?
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I'd say you were spot on yet again Anthony ;D
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Sunny and hot today and nice to see a yellow admiral (Bassaris itea), first basking on one of my gecko cages and then feeding on banana bait at my fly trap.
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if your dog poos ....
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This one almost got painted into the gate ::)
Plume moth - I'm guessing Emmelina monodactyla
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I discover there is a newish book out about these most extraordinary moths.....
http://www.benhs.org.uk/portal/node/70
British Plume Moths - a guide to their identification and biology by Colin Hart
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Here's one of the pictures I took of a Hector's dolphin off Akaroa on the Bank's peninsula.
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Wow. Were you that close?
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Yes ! They run boat trips out into the gulf and stop mid channel. If the dolphins are in the mood, they will come up to the boat. They also have swimming with dolphin trips. When a pod is spotted, the swimmers are put into the water a distance away. The dolphins are so used to people that they come up for a look. It is entirely their choice and there is no harassment by the swimmers. The whole system is well regulated. This is also a good area in which to watch penguins.
As you live in Auckland, I would recommend a trip to Tiri Tiri Matangi island in the Hauraki Gulf. This is easily reached by a modern ferry from the waterfront at the harbour. It gives you a chance to see a Takahe wandering about quite unconcerned. As a matter of fact, they will try to mug you for your sandwiches !
At Kaikoura, we also went out on an Albatross watching trip and managed to clock 13 different species/sub species along with Dusky dolphins. There is a wealth of sea-life to be seen in N.Z.
It's a pity that it is so far away and is now much more expensive since the NZ dollar has appreciated about 30% since I was there in 2006.
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Sounds fantastic Tom. There are tours from Auckland Harbour to see whales and dolphins. We haven't been to Tiri yet. Vivienne is loathed to leave Heidi for that length of time, but I suppose one of us could stay behind? It has happened. As for the exchange rate: my British pension is worth diddly squat because of it. It has lost 10% in the past year!
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45 minute German programme about swifts/mauersegler/martinet noir/vencejo/gierzwaluw
http://mediathek-video.br.de/B7Mediathek.html?bccode=both (http://mediathek-video.br.de/B7Mediathek.html?bccode=both)
left menu, write mauersegler where it says video suche and click natur exclusiv
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For several days we, MrsG and I, have been finding lily heads or leaves knocked off / bent in a tub on the patio.
It was a bit of a puzzle as to who or what was doing it.
Today the poop gave it away >:(
The tub now looks like the perpetrator
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But could he have been eating the slugs? :-X
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Ron,
Those are my pet slugs, I used to feed them.
They love cheese :D
Edit
I hope the attached photo doesn't upset too many people ;D
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Hi Fred, would you like some more?
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Fred,
Personally, I prefer cheese and crackers, not cheese and slugs. :-X
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They are I believe Limax maximus.
There were several hundred at one time and they fed on wild bird seed mix, wholemeal bread and grated cheddar.
Checking on them at night and being greeted by slugs looking up at you whilst rolling cereal grain around in their mouths is a lasting image 8)
I never had plant damage from them except for when they would take the top surface of a pot of sphagnum peat and disturb seedlings or gemmae. In this instance I think they were eating the moss / algae surface on the peat.
Snails and other garden slugs were another story >:(
I was always surprised at the number of snails that gained a pilot's licence ;D ;D ;D
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Unusual to see so many in one spot as I only ever saw leopard slugs in ones and twos. They can grow huge. The biggest one I saw was approaching 6" long! :o
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Yes Anthony, the slugs pictured average about 5" (125 mm).
For scale, the large Helix aspersa (garden snail) at top left and right have a shell length of 1.5" (35 mm)
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I think "Houston, we have a problem" comes to mind! :o
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A link to several collections of Scotland's plants and insects is now available online:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/details-11941.php
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Why do they insist on misusing the word "bugs"? ::)
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Why do they insist on misusing the word "bugs"? ::)
Probably due to the Americanisation ( Americanization) of the English language.
I think we can partially thank Microsoft for that, the rest is TV and film (movies).
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two weeks ago word reached me that builders has detroyed two local sand martin colonies on one site. They blamed health & safety and children playing on the site. Why then did they, allegedly, do the work under the cover of darkness?
Word broke on Friday a.m. but those contacted took no action. I got to hear about it on the Saturday, took photos and sent emails. Many phone calls took place and emails were sent on the Monday.
A site meeting took place last Thursday. Present were local group RSPB, Environment Agency, planners, builders, architects and me.
On Friday the site was fixed and they agreed to fix a small bank that collapsed during the winter
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw25d_Q7qFY&feature=g-upl&context=G28fe910AUAAAAAAABAA[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtFPG_5c3rY&feature=channel[/youtube]
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Bloody well done!! Respect to you for sticking your neck out and having a go, and of course all those with you. Good job.
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Thanks.
The biodiversity officer for my council said to a worried local who phoned
"This isn't council business"
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Well done Mark. I agree with him, ........ its all our business and only when people bother and group together do things happen. Forget Councils, as long as they get their extentions built FOC they're happy. >:(
You made a difference. ;D
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Fly with a peregrine and a goshawk - amazing
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-_RHRAzUHM&feature=g-all-lik&context=G299476bFAAAAAAAABAA[/youtube]
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Just realised I was holding my breath the whole time I was watching that - amazing!
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I agree. My memory of a peregrine on the slopes of Meall Corrananich, Perthshire is the noise as it made an otherwise silent pass at speed over another sitting on a rock. The rush of air over wings.
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Well done Mark brilliant. First Swift today at one of our local reservoirs flying north and the earliest ever for our area. I will be looking out at my local colony for these birds in about a week or so.
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Thanks Gary
Saw my first swallow today
A swift! Definitely very early
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Yes it is exceptionally early. Hopefully i will get Swifts in my nest boxes this year. I have three but Starlings have occupied one of them so i have reduced the hole size of the other two so Starlings cannot get in. Fingers crossed.
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Gary any photos of your swift box set up?
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Mark they are on last years April wildlife forum (page nine). The Starlings are in the right box and i have reduced the holes to the correct size on the other two.
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http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7024.120 (http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7024.120) I forgot you had posted photos. Did the sparrows continue to nest under the eaves? Was there any interest from swifts last year?
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Not sure about the sparrows last year but they are certainly showing interest this year. Swifts were flying very close to the nest boxes on a regular basis and on at least one occasion i saw a bird fly up to one of the boxes but i was in the house and could not be sure if it entered. I feel confident at least one will be used this time around and if any get used i will put some more up for the following year.
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fingers crossed for mid May when the bulk of breeding swifts will be back here
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I completely missed this at the time, apologies, :(
I thought however it was still worth posting, if somewhat belatedly.
http://butterfly-conservation.org/gallery/1231/red_admiral_and_the_snowdrop.html (http://butterfly-conservation.org/gallery/1231/red_admiral_and_the_snowdrop.html)
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Quite amazing. Thanks for posting Ron. 8)
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I completely missed this at the time, apologies, :(
I thought however it was still worth posting, if somewhat belatedly.
http://butterfly-conservation.org/gallery/1231/red_admiral_and_the_snowdrop.html (http://butterfly-conservation.org/gallery/1231/red_admiral_and_the_snowdrop.html)
Extraordinary!
I see from another page on that site that there is a listing of the year's earliest sightings...
http://butterfly-conservation.org/text/853/first_sightings_2012.html (http://butterfly-conservation.org/text/853/first_sightings_2012.html) -from which I see that the Red Admiral was recorded on 1st January in Sussex..... stranger and stranger.
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It was also seen in Devon during January.
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Please Geranium and Pelargonium growers, try to take this one for the environment! :-* :-* Its only a small insect, but give it a chance please, 8) 8)
http://butterfly-conservation.org/article/9/289/butterflies_change_behaviour_in_response_to_climate_change.html (http://butterfly-conservation.org/article/9/289/butterflies_change_behaviour_in_response_to_climate_change.html)