Wildlife June 2010

[mark smyth]

thanks

[Anthony Darby]

6-spot burnets (Zygaena philipendulae). Cyanide will not kill them. In fact, they accumulate the stuff from their food plants, trefoils such as bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus).

[mark smyth]

some brilliant moth photos http://www.portlandbirdobs.org.uk/latest_jun2010.htm

[Gail]

Is this a narcissus fly sitting on a fuchsia?  And anyone know what this caterpillar is (was!) - it was making itself a feeding station on one of my brugmansia seedlings.

[mark smyth]

Not a Narcissus fly which are hairy and come in all black, all pale brown and three coloured

[Anthony Darby]

A harmless drone-fly (Eristalis tenax), the larvae of which frequent stagnant pools are are air-breathing 'rat-tailed maggots'. They mimic honey bees, like female narcissus flies. Male narcissus flies seem to mimic small bumble bees.

[mark smyth]

Anthony the Narcissus fly males and females can be any colour

[mark smyth]

Three colour forms of the Narcissus fly

[mark smyth]

This is action I like.

Yesterday I went to advise a woman, her partner, her son and son's neighbour about swifts and nest boxes.

22 hours later I get an email from the woman saying they have made 4 triple chamber swift nest boxes with the first already in place and the CD playing

[J.B.Wyllie]

This sounds very good. Hope it is not too late for nesting this year.

Jean

[mark smyth]

Way too late now Jean. 3 weeks to hatch the eggs and 5-8 weeks to fledge the young would mean chicks in the nest in late September

Boxes up now will get swifts checking them out and they will return next year, hopefully, to breed.

[J.B.Wyllie]

We are having our roof re tiled and am wondering if there are swifts around here to put up boxes for next year.

Jean

[mark smyth]

Jean, the movie Field of Dreams had a brillaint line "build it and they will come".

A triple chamber box is probably the easiest to make. You could make two if you're really keen

All you need is
4 x (120cm x 16.5cm x 12mm) exterior ply or marine ply if you can afford it - roof, base, front and back
4 x (14cm x 16.6cm x 12mm) for the sides and divisions to make the chambers             
3 x budgie concaves
1 swift attraction CD
screws to make the box and three larger screws and rawl plug to attach the boxes to the walls.

[TheOnionMan]

Enjoying some of the insect life in my garden.

[daveyp1970]

Mark that first photo is incredible dragonfly eyeing up his hoverfly dinner,and i love the colour of the wasp in the second photo.