Wildlife 2007

[David Lyttle]

Ragwort gives rise to chronic hepatotoxic poisoning due to the alkaloids present in the plant. All livestock are affected ie cattle, horses, sheep though sheep tend to more resistant to poisoning. In practice cattle do not generally graze the plant and paddocks become heavily infested. Sheep do graze it, especially while the plant is still young, and pastures grazed by sheep are almost always free of the weed. Most horses are too stupid to be trusted not to eat ragwort hence the absolute paranoia on the part of horse owners in controlling the plant.

Sheep seem to have a high tolerance to many toxic plants and can tolerate hemlock, ngaio (Myoporum laetum) and Solanum laciniatum. I have seen a horse poisoned by Solanum laciniatum ( it recovered) and a lamb poisoned by Rhododendron by chewing on dried twigs (very unhappy for a couple of day but also recovered). Plant poisonings of livestock are very unpredictable - somtimes animal can ingest huge amounts of a particular plant while on other occasions small amounts can be fatal,

[Hans J]

Hi Armin ,

I live here in the river Rhein Valley ( near Kaiserstuhl) we have this Wood Bees since more then 10 years -but we are also in the warmest part of Germany - since some years we have also "Taubenschwänzchen" = Macroglossum stellatarum + auch "Gottesanbeterin" = Mantis religiosa has visit our garden .
Friends told me that this bees are the natural pollinators of bearded Iris -I dont know if this is correct .

Many greetings
Hans

[Joakim B]

During an excursion by car along the Mondego river in central Portugal we saw this bird of pray.
I did not get a feeling of how big it was and first thought it was of eagle size and later more of kite size.
Any possible sugestions are wellcome.

[Armin]

Ragwort gives rise to chronic hepatotoxic poisoning due to the alkaloids present in the plant. All livestock are affected ie cattle, horses, sheep though sheep tend to more resistant to poisoning. In practice cattle do not generally graze the plant and paddocks become heavily infested. Sheep do graze it, especially while the plant is still young, and pastures grazed by sheep are almost always free of the weed. Most horses are too stupid to be trusted not to eat ragwort hence the absolute paranoia on the part of horse owners in controlling the plant.

Sheep seem to have a high tolerance to many toxic plants and can tolerate hemlock, ngaio (Myoporum laetum) and Solanum laciniatum. I have seen a horse poisoned by Solanum laciniatum ( it recovered) and a lamb poisoned by Rhododendron by chewing on dried twigs (very unhappy for a couple of day but also recovered). Plant poisonings of livestock are very unpredictable - somtimes animal can ingest huge amounts of a particular plant while on other occasions small amounts can be fatal,

David, thank you for the detailed explanation. I learned a lot!

[mark smyth]

The thin tail is confusing. Kites have a long wedged tail and Buzzards have a quarter circle shaped tail. Maybe it's missing some tail feathers

[Armin]

Hi Armin ,

I live here in the river Rhein Valley ( near Kaiserstuhl) we have this Wood Bees since more then 10 years -but we are also in the warmest part of Germany - since some years we have also "Taubenschwänzchen" = Macroglossum stellatarum + auch "Gottesanbeterin" = Mantis religiosa has visit our garden .
Friends told me that this bees are the natural pollinators of bearded Iris -I dont know if this is correct .

Many greetings
Hans

Hans,
just by chance I saw a Carpenter Bee (Blaue Holzbiene) today in my garden. But it was to fast to take a picture. I can imagine this 30mm lenght bee suits perfectly to the large flowers of a bearded iris. Why not?

One single Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Taubenschwänzchen) appeared this year already ~3wks ago sucking nectar on my snow drops. Very early and unusual - never saw before. Normally it is resident only in warmer climates of the mediterean area and the 1st gen. population crosses the Alps in April/May on its way to central Europe. However it rarely survives the winter in northern latitudes. But this mild winter...

Praying mantis (Mantis religiosa) is not available here. But I know of a small population of European green lizard (Lacerta viridis; Östliche Smaragdeidechse) in a sunny exposed vineyard. Very rare too and worth to be protected.

Kaiserstuhl vineyards are famous of Muscari neglectum ssp. Racemosum .Do you know and can post a picture from the wild? They should be in blossom now.
brgds

[Hans J]

Armin ,

Sorry but I dont know locations for this Muscari - I know only locations for Pulsatilla vulgaris and  Anemone sylvestris
European green lizard are also on Kaiserstuhl - also I have hear that there breed "Bienenfresser" ( Merops apiaster).
On Kaiserstuhl grows 8-10 different orchids - it is fantasitc !

Greetings
Hans

[Anthony Darby]

During an excursion by car along the Mondego river in central Portugal we saw this bird of pray.
I did not get a feeling of how big it was and first thought it was of eagle size and later more of kite size.
Any possible sugestions are wellcome.

Could be a kite with its tail closed?

[Armin]

The thin tail is confusing. Kites have a long wedged tail and Buzzards have a quarter circle shaped tail. Maybe it's missing some tail feathers

Mark, Joakim, for me the picture looks on the fist view more like a black Kite (Milvus migrans migrans) because of the narrower wedged tail. Wing diameter up to 150cm. It regularly appears in Portugal. But for a precise analysis better picture is required.
brgds

[Armin]

Armin ,

Sorry but I dont know locations for this Muscari - I know only locations for Pulsatilla vulgaris and  Anemone sylvestris
European green lizard are also on Kaiserstuhl - also I have hear that there breed "Bienenfresser" ( Merops apiaster).
On Kaiserstuhl grows 8-10 different orchids - it is fantasitc !

Greetings
Hans

Hans, wunderful having this species. Nature observing is exiting.

[Hans J]

Armin ,

In earlier time we had here also "Weinbergtulpen" = Tulipa sylvestris -but today they exist only in "Alsace" ( France ).

[Armin]

Hans, Tulipa sylvestries is very rare here and limited to some places over limestone in sunny vineyards.
I keep a few in my garden - still buds.

[Hans J]

Armin , I grow too T. sylvestris in my garden ( received from a friend ).
In the south of France I have found by my trips sometimes T. sylvestris v. australis -a really nice plant .

[Armin]

Hans, I'll be pleased to see your sylvestris when open.

Just another lovely impression from today: European Peacock warming up in sunshine.

[Joakim B]

I think the bird is as Armin suggested the Black kite.
I should have recognised it from Sweden but I am not used to spot birds on positions higher than them as I first did in Portugal. It was over the river and not much higher up than what I were. When it came above me it stared to go higher and higher up.
They have even reported sucessfull breeding of the hybrid of kite and black kite. The kite is easier to recognise with the forked tail.
Thanks for the help. I brought me camera fror taking pics of flowers and not birds so there where not the best optics on the camera. But that was the only one I had with me and the only digital I have.

Kind regards
Joakim