Wildlife 2007

[Anthony Darby]

My bee was back again today.

[Paddy Tobin]

"MY" bee?

Becoming possessive, Anthony?

It is a particularly good-looking bee I  must admit.

Paddy

[ranunculus]

'New bee or not new bee....that is the question'?

On that 'sad' note we will take our leave and depart for that great land across the water ('No! Not the Isle of Wight'!)....we are visiting Utah, Nevada and California as a 30th anniversary treat to ourselves and hoping to see a wide range of mountain, desert, forest and coastal plants (though a very dry Spring may lessen the opportunities somewhat).

Please keep up the good work while we are away....post, post, post.....and let's get some of these persistent lurkers involved....

[Susan Band]

A must stop off place is Moab in southern Utah. I have only been there in the September but the surroundings are spectacular. Arches Nat. Park, Canyonlands, Colorado river, Dinosaur footprints, High mountains, petrified sand dunes.......  GREAT place. Must go back.

[Susan Band]

Just been looking out from the office at a nest box. At first I thought there was a wren feeding young.... Then I saw a twig being taken in.... Thought thats strange I am sure they are going in more frequently that taking in nest materials... Then looked closer it was a sparrow taking in nesting materials into the same box as the wren is feeding young. Must go and have a closer look now

[Lesley Cox]

Anthony was very much on my mind last evening when I watched a super TV programme called (forgive me) "Bite Club - Buggin' with Ruud" and subtitled "Island of Giant Bugs." Ruud (pronounced rude) Kleinpaste is a Dutch New Zealander and known here affectionately as "The bug Man" who has educated us all over a number of years, about the endearing qualities of all kinds of spiders, insects and creepie crawlies generally. This programme is in a series and I've not seen the previous episodes but will look for the remaining ones, for sure. He was in Papua New Guinea and I'm so sorry I have no pictures to post because his co-stars were incredible beetles, spiders, flies (one with eyes on the ends of very long stalks which reached out each side of its head) and utterly bewitching butterflies. The superstar was called the Queen Alexandra Bird Wing Butterfly, with glorious colouring and a wingspan in the female of 25 cms, a little less in the male. It is very rare nowadays apparently, due to logging in its only habitat.

I think this programme may have been made by the Discovery people or similar and perhaps it's viewable somewhere on the Internet. I highly recommend it if you can access it.

[Anthony Darby]

Definitely want to see that. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is one I want to see in the wild. I have a fabulous book by a Japanese Doctor called Hirokasu Matsuka (who describes himself as "a collector of tropical diseases") with photos taken near Popondetta in PNG. The caterpillar feeds on Aristolochia alexandrae and grows to 5" long.

[Rob]

Here is a speckled wood butterfly - pararge aegeria

It was sunbathing on a bag of compost when I managed to take a quick snap

Rob

[Maggi Young]

Oh, dear, I had just calmed down after reading about bugs with eyes on stalks and was trying to rationalise that ten inch butterflies would be lovely to see, when Anthony posts this photo of a giant fuzzy caterpillar... AAGH!!  I am now too rattled to appreciate Rob's lovely speckled wood butterfly!
I will have to start looking at the photos on this thread only when I am feeling strong....perhaps if I kept a fly swat to hand by the pc I'd feel safer? Thank goodness forthe more manageable bugs we have in Aberdeen...I can live with most of those quite well!

[Rob]

Good news. I have just been watching this years baby blue tits.

Here are a couple of photos. It's head looks a bit bedraggled so I think it must have just used the bird bath!

Rob

[mark smyth]

that would be an adult. the young have much paler colours or dad would drive them away once fledged

[Rob]

Thanks Mark. Looking at last years photos I noticed the colours weren't as bold, but I thought maybe it was the sun washing out the colour as it was a much brighter day last year.

How old do you think this one is, as I thought the feathers on the back looked a bit downey?

Rob

[mark smyth]

it, as most adults at this time of year, will look rough after raising up to 10 chicks. Your bird is 12 months or over. Assuming your bird raised 10 young that gives 12 birds from one nest. If all live and all others from nests in the UK and Europe there will be a population explosion. This wont happen. Using the example of one pair and 10 chicks by March next year both adults but no young survive, one adult and one young or two young. The vast majority of young die within days of fledging especially if the weather is bad. Sparrowhawk eggs hatch when tits fledge to cash in on the abundance except this year. If you are watching Spring Watch BBC1 8pm Monday to Friday for the next two weeks you will have heard how Tits and Sparrowhawks are out of sync this years due to the tits nesting up to three weeks earlier than normal

Highlights of the programme can be seen here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/springwatch/index.shtml

Spring Watch web cams
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/springwatch/webcams/bb_rm_console.shtml?nbram=1&bbram=1&clip=nhugsenc01_4x3

[Anthony Darby]

Central Scotland is a Speckled Wood free zone. Not been seen hereabouts for well over 100 years. It is found in the north west and along the Great Glen, where it has almost white spots.

[TC]

Can anyone identify this butterfly.  The picture was taken in Arduaine gardens in late April.  The butterflies were in deep woodland and kept flying up to the treetops.