wildlife

[ruweiss]

Warning!!! - Look for your plants! -
The first species of huge and hungry mutated
caterpillars was sighted yesterday.

[Maggi Young]

Rudi, your caterpillar is a big one - but this one  is almost as big - and looks even more hungry...



this pic is a screengrab fron the video, link below.

This is a a link to a video of what its said to be the biggest caterpillar in North America.

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[Chris Johnson]

That's some larva but would still get lost in Rudi's caterpillar' foliage.

[Anthony Darby]

I have bred this species in Dunblane. Use to know the whereabouts of every walnut tree in the Dunblane-Stirling area. There's a good one behind May's Palace in Dunblane. Here is a caterpillar I reared in 2000 from eggs sent from the USA.

[ian mcdonald]

Anthony, good to see yours is an imperial.

[fermi de Sousa]

A slightly larger herbivore has taken up residence in our garden!
cheers
fermi

[Anthony Darby]

That would have been a roo'd awakening seeing that in the garden!

[Anthony Darby]

The thrush nest above the light in our porch came to nothing. Not sure if this nest is from the same pair, but we have one youngster, at least, joining the baby blackbirds in our garden. I hope the local cats, that have been efficiently slaughtering the local ducklings, stay away. This nest is in one of our two Duranta 'Geisha Girl' bushes. This one over hangs the tortoise enclosure, and like its twin, has Spanish moss growing in it.

[ian mcdonald]

Anthony, are the thrush and blackbird native or imported?

[Anthony Darby]

Imported by idiot settlers in 1868 as they "missed the bird life from home". The Victorians regarded New Zealand birds as second class and needed to be replaced with better European ones. Begs the question, where is the British robin? The European sparrow is the commonest bird in NZ. Starlings and Indian mynas are pretty common round us too, as are goldfinches, chaffinches, green finches and yellowhammers. I hear skylarks on the local fenced off volcano. Not sure how they survive because they cut the grass once a month. No idea why! Still, they and hares and pheasants are there.

[brianw]

Today while negotiating a major M40 junction, and waiting at a red light, a flock of Starlings were occupying one of the dual lighting standards (poles). It was one of the Y types in the centre of a dual carriageway. They were regularly spaced about 10" or so apart from edge to edge, but only ~ 2/3 of the large flock could get on and the rest were circling. For some reason it had to be that standard of the dozens around it. Can't remember the last time I saw one in the garden; maybe 10 years? Used to be common.

[Chris Johnson]

Today while negotiating a major M40 junction, and waiting at a red light, a flock of Starlings were occupying one of the dual lighting standards (poles). It was one of the Y types in the centre of a dual carriageway. They were regularly spaced about 10" or so apart from edge to edge, but only ~ 2/3 of the large flock could get on and the rest were circling. For some reason it had to be that standard of the dozens around it. Can't remember the last time I saw one in the garden; maybe 10 years? Used to be common.

Most are here, Brian.

A regular winter flock of over 3000 feed on the wildlife in the seaweed and then defecate all over my fruit cages. I will willingly transport some down to you. 

[ruweiss]

[ArnoldT]

Any ideas on the name of this creature.  Found in SE USA most likely Florida.

[Anthony Darby]

 Looks like a mating pair of two lined stick insects (Anisomorpha buprestoides).