October Wildlife 2013

[Mark Griffiths]

can't see the new month's thread so here goes.

Got a moth trap a few weeks back. Here's one I could identify, The Vestal. Got two last night. Apparently it's a migrant but given it's weak fluttery flight the two I caught had diffficulty flying accross the garden let alone the channel. These might be UK bred ones though.

[RichardW]

At work today noticed some rooks/jackdaws mobbing a bird of prey which clearly wasn't a buzzard or red kite, quick dash to the sheds for my bins then 10 minutes watching an Osprey circling the gardens. Have seen a few over the years in spring & autumn but never hung around, made my day 

[scatigaz]

Nice moth Mark. The Vestal was one of the first moths that i ever caught and being rather scarce in Soth Yorkshire consequently triggered my interest in moths. That was around 15 or more years ago but have never seen one since. Keep the photos coming.

[Mark Griffiths]

thanks Gary, I've been interested in moths since I was a kid. Now I'm just a big kid.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Found this Dark Bush-cricket sunbathing in the garage.

[Peter Maguire]

Not much wildlife being photographed at present, so I thought I'd liven things up with this picture of a Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) photographed this afternoon.
The weather had been wet/dull all day and I'd spent the day at the computer, so when it brightened up in the late afternoon we went for a walk by the coast (St Mary's Island, Whitley Bay for those who know the area) and found this flock of Greenfinches feeding on the rosehips in one of the scrubby areas. They seemed hungry and relatively approachable, so I wondered whether they were migrants soon after landfall.

[Melvyn Jope]

A welcome visitor to our garden again this year because of its extraordinary bright colours, the caterpillar of the Pale Tussock moth

[Anthony Darby]

Found this Dark Bush-cricket sunbathing in the garage.

Pholidoptera griseoaptera is a species with which I'm not familiar.

[johnralphcarpenter]

According to Nature Guide UK it is common sight in southern England and Wales. According to Wikipedia, "this species can be found in Europe from northern Spain and Ireland up to Crimea, Caucasus and the Near East". Not NZ then!

[mark smyth]

Peter Greenfinches over here are stripped hips also especially Rosa rugosa as yours is

[Hillview croconut]

Hi,

These are 3 of my wildlife encounters during October in my Tasmanian garden.

A Short-beaked Echidna lurking around some pots. This is a rare visitor into the suburbs. For those who may not know - it is one of only 2 animals (monotremes) on the planet that lays eggs and suckles its young. The other being the platypus. Its a spikey little beast but its armoury doesn't rival the porcupine.

The common Blackbird (Turdus merula) is not encouraged in my garden but this Mum has to be admired for the size of her brood. A week after this picture was taken all the chicks were still alive and flopping and helicoptering around the garden.

Finally a fantastic moment, the likes of which I have never seen before. Two very large Blue Tongue Lizards mating on the path outside my flat. The male had the female by the scruff of the neck and was attempting to manoeuvre his penis? into position. The "courtship" was quite a violent affair and the female was dragged about a lot but she survived the encounter and I am hoping to see some babies one day.

Cheers, Marcus

[Mark Griffiths]

absolutely fascinating Marcus. It never occurred to me that the Echidna would be around suburbs rather than out in the wilds. The skinks are really cool too. thanks for sharing!

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Mark,

Echidnas are not usually found in these situations but I am close to a large conservation area which in turn links to a world heritage wilderness zone. There are still quite significant bushland corridors running into the city much to the chagrin of some. These have been maintained but now there are some concerns about the fire risk they present. Echidnas usually favor open dry woodland and there isn't much around here so it was a surprise but a good one! The skinks are very common in my garden and are very active in late spring and early summer.

Cheers,  Marcus

[Anthony Darby]

According to Nature Guide UK it is common sight in southern England and Wales. According to Wikipedia, "this species can be found in Europe from northern Spain and Ireland up to Crimea, Caucasus and the Near East". Not NZ then!

Spent most of my summer holidays in some part of the south of England, and more recently Spain, France, Italy and Croatia. Saw plenty of great green grasshoppers and other bush crickets.

[Anthony Darby]

Your blue tongued skinks will be like all reptiles and have two hemipenes Marcus. They are stored in a pouch in the tail and used singly, depending on which side the male is in relation to the female.