Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: Anthony Darby on November 02, 2011, 03:32:55 AM
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The first of my emperor gum moth (Opodiphthera eucalypti) cocoons hatched on 31/10, but these pics were taken today. I heard them cutting their way out at tea time. Some silk moths (Saturniidae) produce an alkaline solvent which softens the thread. These don't. They have sharp cutting edges at the front base of the fore wings. The end of the cocoon gradually becomes thinner and they eventually cut a hole and push their way out. Pairing must be brief as they had separated by the morning of 1/11 and the female had started laying eggs. Like all saturnids, the adults don't feed as they have no mouth parts. This species is an Australian import.
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Anthony,
we had these around home when I was growing up - for some reason we found the cocoons on the Sweet Gum, Liquidambar styraciflua - and my sister brought some inside as a decoration. One evening we were alerted by her screams as the moth emerged from the branch sitting on her desk as she was studying! Fun times ;D
cheers
fermi
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Fermi, that's excellent information. Thanks. Eucalyptus is not the easiest tree to find on my doggy walks, but sweet gum is quite common, so easier to feed hungry caterpillars.
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Anthony,
we found the cocoons on the Liquidambar, but I can't say I ever saw the caterpillars on the leaves! There weren't a lot of eucalypts in the area so maybe the moths chose another "gum" to lay their eggs on?
cheers
fermi
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I've checked the literature and sweet gum is accepted by the caterpillars. Time will tell. 8)
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What are the blobby things around the male moth?
We have gum trees by the million but none of these spactacular moths. Maybe it's too cold for them in the south?
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We get them here as well, although I haven't specifically seen their coccoons (the blobby things, Lesley). We get another coccoon around the place that has fibres almost like fibreglass and they are a skin irritant. Can't recall what they are from, but I don't think Emperor Gums. They're more elongated than those in your pic, plus paler in colour. Of course colour may be based on diet I guess? Great pics.
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As Paul says, they are the cocoons. I got them from a breeder in New Zealand. They are supposedly common from Nelson northwards, but are certainly found as far south as Christchurch. They arrived in NZ about 1938. They are kept in check by parasitoids, so never become a pest. Look for them in November/December. Hopefully I will have plenty of eggs, so if anyone wants any let me know.
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This is special. Slow motion pictures showing "The beauty of pollination". Look for the bat with its baby, feeding on cactus pollen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=xHkq1edcbk4
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Seen on the street today.
I'm 9 miles from Times Square.
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Would it go better with red or white Arnold? ;D
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Red, but not with cold turkey!
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Seen on the street today.
I'm 9 miles from Times Square.
Thankful to be making a getaway before Thanksgiving, I suppose .... good luck to it!
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David:
I think a nice Pinot Grigio would go well.
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The bottle's in the fridge ready Arnold! ;D
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Here's a Monarch (Danaus plexippus) caterpillar on one of my swan plants (Asclepias fruiticosa). It's just over 2mm long.
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Got a way to go then Anthony. Still it looks like a long 2mm ???
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Anthony that was truly amazing photography - thanks for the link
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Here's a Monarch (Danaus plexippus) caterpillar on one of my swan plants (Asclepias fruiticosa). It's just over 2mm long.
Anthony, never saw this stage of this wonderful butterfly!
Coincidentally I came along Danaus plexippus near Tarifa/Spain. It was around his forage plants Gomphoricarpus fruticosus and Asclepias curassavica.
Gerd
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I hope you'll show the caterpillar as it lengthens Anthony. It is such a handsone beastie, and then as it pupates to a beautiful jade green chrysalis, decorated with pure gold. Must be worth a fortune.
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this hit my kitchen window today with quite a bang for a tiny bird, found it looking dead in a bush beneath the window, didn't hold up much hope for it for but after 20 mins in the warm it flew off.
these and several nuthatch have taken to jamming sunflower seeds in the cracks between slabs beneath the window presumably to get them open, not seen them doing that before.
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I see it has a ring on its leg Richard - did you make a note of the number to report to the BTO? ;)
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yes, although it was ringed in my garden by a friend ;)
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Today Heidi had a face off with this poor cat that seems to have had a terrible crime committed upon it! :-[
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Have to say the crime committed on the cat is not that it's been shaved but that it's owners allowed it to get in a state that required it to be shaved.... nearly every time this will be because the long-haired cat has not been properlky groomed.
Sloppy pet ownership .....that makes me ratty. >:(
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It's the first time I've seen this cat, although the children have said there's a weird white dog living nearby that looks a bit like a poodle. Heidi knows not to get too close to a cat that stands its ground.
I found this golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) on one of my walks and brought it home to photograph before returning it to its patch of Cyperus ustulatus. These frogs are avid sun baskers and I usually see one or two in this spot. After I'd released the frog I heard a cicada. I think this is the snoring cicada (Kikhia cutora)? The book says "the male call sounds like someone snoring: 'didididididi dambo dambo dambo'"!!!! I hope I don't snore like that! :o
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Smart looking frog... as GREEN as a frog should be, eh?!.... are they quite common?
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nice frog photos.
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A white-tailed eagle from a 2010 release in Ireland has been rescued in Aberdeenshire. It's one of 5 to travel from the south of Ireland to Scotland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-15591378 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-15591378)
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A white-tailed eagle from a 2010 release in Ireland has been rescued in Aberdeenshire. It's one of 5 to travel from the south of Ireland to Scotland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-15591378 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-15591378)
Mark - on BBC Reporting Scotland last night, there was film of it being released back into the wild. The problem was it wouldn't become airborne, so they had to re-capture it and take it into custody for some more TLC before trying again.
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Anthony the cicada are just lovely little things are they are any larger sp there as well?
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There are a couple of species of cicada round here that are getting up to 2" long: the chorus cicada (Amphipsalta cingulata and the clapping cicada (A. zaelandica). In both species clap their wings in response to the male.
Maggi, the frogs must be quite common, as I can usually find two or three in one small dry ditch of toetoe upokotangata, or giant umbrella sedge (Cyperus ustulatus) with Dietes grandiflora self seeding from flower borders in the car park it borders.
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Here's my Red Wattle Bird that roosts at night out in our Cornus florida near the bottom of our front stairs. It roosted in the same place last year for a few months as well, but I haven't checked whether it was the same timing as this year or not. 2 pics attached, one with him tucked up asleep, and one when he woke up as I was leaving. I had finished photographing and had turned to leave.... when I glanced back he was watching me, so I returned and took a last photo of him awake. I thought I'd managed to not disturb him at all until then. ::)
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very exposed Paul.
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The European crane is a rare winter visitor to Ireland with one or two every year.
There are 35 in two flocks this year :o :o
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I'm reading the travel diaries of a chap who called himself an anserophile. 8)
More monarch caterpillar pictures, and, Maggi be warned, a wee jumping spider.
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I'm reading the travel diaries of a chap who called himself and anserophile. 8)
More monarch caterpillar pictures, and, Maggi be warned, a wee jumping spider.
... or AN anserophile, even...... ::)
Sir Peter Scott: "... in four days with the Red-breasts I shall never forget the unparalleled thrill of discovering we had thousands of them in front of us ... it was one of the most stirring sights that an anserophile could imagine..."
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Just read that - page 227 - now on page 252 "In search of Bewick's swans in Siberia". Now where did that 'd' spring from?
Here's another monarch caterpillar about 1 cm long, and a tiny mantis, which is Miomantis caffra, the introduced South African springbok mantis. This newly hatched one is about 3 mm long.
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Anthony,
That little mantis is so cute. Our local green ones here tend to have babies that are black, I assume to merge in with the shadows? Yours has stripes to break it's outline. Otherwise, almost identical in shape etc, just not colour. 8)
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I love the Monarch caterpillars, as they get bigger and bigger and bigger ;D
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Did you hear the disco / techno birds on BBC1's One Show?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017chzj/The_One_Show_15_11_2011/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017chzj/The_One_Show_15_11_2011/) 17 minutes from the start
A music producer realised that blackbirds, song thrushes and great tits sing to a 127bpm beat
Cool or what?
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Anthony,
Having not seen any baby Mantis for years, I came across a little one this morning when watering. Or rather, a little one came across me (I found it on my arm). No camera with me, but such a coincidence to see one after many years without, within a couple of days of mentioning it here. ;D
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Talk of the devil and it appears Paul. ;D It's a long time since I won anything on the lottery. ;)
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What kind of birds do you have in Ireland? Found this on a newspaper site here. (You have to copy the id number too)
http://www.vgtv.no/#!id=46303
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Are they not starlings?
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They are starlings, that is only a few miles north-east of here.
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That video has been going around recently. Like Michael says they are starlings roosting on an island on the river Shannon
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The lovely starling video has just been on TV... BBC's Autumnwatch programme.
The fact that the birds were over water and could thus swoop very low is more spectacular than watching them come together around buildings and trees.... I thought the video was super.
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There is a famous Starling roost at Gretna which can be seen from the motorway service area. Up to 1 million birds are reckoned to be in the air performing their flight before landing.
This used to be a common sight in Glasgow when the birds would come in from foraging in the countryside 50/60 years ago. It was advisable to walk with an umbrella up when they were flying !
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I thought it had to be starlings. I have seen huge flocks of starlings on TV but never in real life. Although starlings are common here they never gather like that. You can collect amounts of guano where they roost then ;)
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The starling video was by far better on an HD TV
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Starlings at Gretna Green in the shape of a dolphin
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/8898670/Pictures-of-the-day-18-November-2011.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/8898670/Pictures-of-the-day-18-November-2011.html)
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Wow. What a photo.
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Feel a little schizophrenia? What about this one:
http://www.vg.no/bildespesial/spesial.php?id=8549
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Well they do say that two heads are better than one. :P
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Bad dog!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmLOokbPTvI[/youtube]
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Amazing starling video/pictures! Many of them will be breeding birds from Norway that almost all overwinter in the UK. The biggest flocks observed here have been estimated to be about 50,000 on the South West coast of Norway (not far from Trond!) waiting for favourable weather for crossing the North Sea...
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Bad dog!
Idiot owner!
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Unfortunately there are too many about!! On my local beach, bird watching is almost impossible now as is letting young children make sandcastles. People pull up with their 4x4's, open the tailgates and packs of dogs jump out and race for the beach. They are totally out of control and can terrify young children. Last week I counted 17 dogs , unsupervised on a half mile stretch of the beach. As far as I can make out it is professional dog walkers who bring them there so there is probably no individual control. Not to mention the dog dirt that they fail to pick up
Feeding birds are continuously disturbed and lose valuable feeding time which can mean the difference between life or death in the short Winter days.
I feel a 1000 word rant coming on so I will close before I offend someone.
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I agree with Tom. Bird watching along our beeches is almost impossible too.
When I went to look at wild geese on Sunday there was at least one dog per car but not our cars. It was locals who out because it was a lovely day.
At our last stop a man and woman arrived at a wildfowl refuge with their springer. They were about to go on to the land when our leader let fly. We were amazed by the flocks of Golden plover, Lapwings, Whooper swans, various ducks and geese. They didnt care and said it's good exercise for the dog and it keeps the wildfowl wild because there are no wolves in Ireland. ??? ??? ???
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something for fans of swifts
Some of you may have the Devil Birds book by Derek Bromhall which is about the Oxford Museum swift colony. There was also a film with the same name about the swifts at the museum. Some of you may have it already from me.
It has now been re-issued as a DVD with all profits going to Swift conservation & rehabilitation work. You can get your copy of this fascinating and highly-educational film from Gillian Westray for £10.
If you would like a copy contact Gillian g.westrayATbtinternet.com with a note of how many you would like and she will get in touch with you regarding payment and delivery.
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A North America Blue-winged teal has been discovered in County Fermanagh. Was it shot by a wildflowler who thankfully realised he had something different but not before removing the breasts or did a Peregrine catch it and someone found the remains.
http://nibirds.blogspot.com/ (http://nibirds.blogspot.com/)
http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?mode=search&sp=27099&rty=0&r=1&off=296869&v=0 (http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?mode=search&sp=27099&rty=0&r=1&off=296869&v=0)
When I used to shoot people would bring me birds to identify - if you dont know what it is dont shoot it was my usual answer
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Mark,
I read your last line as "When I used to shoot people" and did a double take, having to reread it with the correct mental pause! ;D Here I thought for a moment that our mild mannered Mark was admitting to being a serial killer. :o ;) Or a policeman I guess. :-\ Depends which country. :-[
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It does read wrong. I suppose a comma is needed
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Mark,
Nah, much more fun the way it is. ;D
I can't believe they were shooting things then identifying them later. Bad luck if it was the last male in existence of a certain species (as an example). In that case, I think shooting people should be allowed. :o
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In the early 70s the Irish wildfowl artist Bob Milliken stayed with us in my parents' guest house in Callander. He had come to sell his paintings at the game fair (he was one of the few artists who sold virtually all his paintings), which that year was at Blairdrummond. He described taking a group of Italians shooting. They couldn't grasp the idea of only shooting ducks, and only those in flight. After shooting one swan, and a bevy of coots he confiscated their guns! :-\
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I'm doing some exam supervision at the local school (Botany Downs Secondary College - Vivienne teaches there and James is currently in year 10). Yesterday it was Classical Studies, today Japanese in the morning and a mixed room of Level 1 physics and Level 3 calculus in the afternoon. I spotted a Welcome Swallow's nest outside one of the Whanau blocks (= family; the school has 6 whanau), so I took my camera in and photographed it. The nest is on a metal beam above the right hand double doors of Discovery Whanau (note the chess/draughts board). The school has eight separate double story blocks linked by "The Street" at ground level and walk ways at first floor level. Both levels are very busy at period changes and at 'morning tea' and lunch times. Curiously the rooms and blocks are labelled by colour, so Discovery is blue, with the rooms numbered B1.1 - B1.8 on the ground floor.
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Winter shoots through the window.
Carduelis chloris
(http://cs10775.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/97713647/y_1865c4d7.jpg)
Rare Lophophanes cristatus
(http://cs10775.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/97713647/y_8b61d048.jpg)
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Good to see you have Green finches. Very rare in the UK now due to the wasting disease spread from bird feeders.
So jealous you have Crested tits. They are a Scittish Scottish bird in the UK and ?only found in the Highlands
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One or two "rare" Starlings in a scramble for spilt seeds
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Tonight on BBC 1 "Frozen Planet". At 21.00. You will love this!
Yesterday on dutch t.v. and everyone is talking about it.
Enjoy! :o
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Good to see you have Green finches. Very rare in the UK now due to the wasting disease spread from bird feeders.
I have quite a good flock of Greenfinches demolishing my black sunflower seeds, at least a dozen every day, costing me a fortune :-[
I'll try and get some pics, it's quite a sight watching them all trying to fit on the large feeder.
I've also just got House Sparrows, which is a bird I rarely see, in the 20 years I've been here only seen 1 at work.
another new regular is a Marsh Tit, often see them foraging on the floor at work and it only ever does the same, picking small bits off the floor and never actually on the feeders.
Hadn't seen Crested Tit till a few years ago, spent nearly 5 hours walking around Glen Affric then saw a what I presume was a family group yards from the car ;D ,lovely birds.
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Richard why not feed the greenies sunflower hearts so stop the mess of husks?
Today I had 20+ goldfinches, 10+ Chaffinches, 10+ Collared doves and one greenfich. Around 1pm their was -1 Goldfinch :( caught by a male sparrowhawk and not long after -1 dove caught by a female sparrowhawk. Both ate their kills in a neighbours garden. If only I could train the s'hawks to catch c a t s ;D
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Good to see you have Green finches. Very rare in the UK now due to the wasting disease spread from bird feeders.
I can't say they are common here. I've never seen them at my garden only at friends near reserve.
So jealous you have Crested tits. They are a Scittish Scottish bird in the UK and ?only found in the Highlands
I am jealous to. :) Many times I tried to shoot them but always was unsuccessful. They are very timid. I have to try again. Closer. :)
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Today I had 20+ goldfinches, 10+ Chaffinches, 10+ Collared doves and one greenfich. Around 1pm their was -1 Goldfinch :( caught by a male sparrowhawk and not long after -1 dove caught by a female sparrowhawk. Both ate their kills in a neighbours garden. If only I could train the s'hawks to catch c a t s ;D
Wow! You don't need to visit theater to see drama. :)
It's unpleasant to see now one animal kill an eat another one. But I understand they are not cruel and only follow their nature.
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Richard why not feed the greenies sunflower hearts so stop the mess of husks?
they're just more expensive, I'm currently getting through about 5kg a week, plus fat, nuts and nyjer, and it's been mild to date, once the harder weather kicks in they get through a lot more. My garden at home is quite wild anyway so I don't worry about the mess ;)
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Why feed Nyger? It's the most expensive seed. This time last year I decided no more Nyger and when it finished I started feeding sunflower hearts. The Goldfinches didn't go away and took to it straight away. My sunflower hearts cost £1 per kg. 25kg for £25
I'm stopping peanuts also because only starlings eat it. In its place there will be another seed feeder with a mix of sunflower hearts, always chopped in a blender, and white millet
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Coal tits take peanuts and hide them all over the garden.
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Why feed Nyger? It's the most expensive seed.
if I didn't I wouldn't get the Goldfinches & Siskins ;)
I'm currently paying £24 for 30 Kg of B Sunflowers, haven't asked the seed merchant about hearts for a while but they were quite a lot more expensive, as I would expect, and as I said I don't mind the mess.
nice to see a Female Teal on the pond at work today.
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I'm hearing more of these are we approach Christmas. Clapping cicadas (Amphipsalta cingulata). They start to appear round about Labour Day - 24/10 this year. The male chirps and then claps his wings quite loudly. The female responds with a wing clap.
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Only one monarch caterpillar made it to fully grown on my swan plant. It changed into final larval instar around 23/11; was fully grown on 27/11; was still wandering around on 2/12 and was then removed to a cage where it spun a silken pad from which it now hangs.
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Richard my Siskins also went straight to sunflower hearts when I stopped Nyger. Linnets also changed to sunflower hearts. There is no reason why your suppliers sunflower hearts would be more expensive than mine. It should be the other way round. If you use a lot of seed why not go staright to the seed merchant/manufacturer?
Like Anthony said about Coal tits hiding peanuts they also cant hide chopped sunflower seeds.
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Coal tits hide sunflower seeds too. I have seen many sunflowers growing out of cracks in walls.
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The coal tits here will hide anything - anywhere :) If they ate as much as they hide they'd be the size of turkeys!
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Ah, maybe turkeys are coal tits that haven't learned to hide things? ;)
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Mark
Where do you get your sunflower hearts? I am paying £2.50 a kilo for hearts and £2.00 for nyger seed. Looking on line I cannot see them as cheap as this. Yes, Goldfinches eat sunflower hearts but they still seem to prefer nyger. I have also noticed that a lot of the sunflower hearts seem to be chucked out of the feeder as if the birds are going for the best looking seeds.
However, these are swept up by the Dunnocks or Robins.
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If you use a lot of seed why not go staright to the seed merchant/manufacturer?
I'm buying from the cheapest local source (feed merchant) as far as I know and in as much volume as I can store & keep the mice from getting to it, think the only cheaper option would be to buy by the tonne....
it is shocking how much the price has increased in the last few years.
one advantage of the mess ;)
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Richard, what a pretty striped crafty muzzle! :)
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he/she was great, got very used to the light and lots of friends kids had some lovely views, not been back yet but am hoping it'll reappear when the hard weather arrives.
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I have also noticed that a lot of the sunflower hearts seem to be chucked out of the feeder as if the birds are goeing for the best looking seeds
That's why I chop mine in a mini food processor
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I buy my seeds from a guy who buys from a N Ireland based supplier of seeds. They buy in seeds and make their own mixes.
At least 40 Goldfinches this morning fighting to get on to 8 feeding holes
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We seem to have a plague of flying ants. These are quite small - less than a centimetre long with the males about 3 mm. This pair was photographed through the window. Once they have separated, the queen drops to the ground and quickly breaks off her wings.