wildlife

[Steve Garvie]

Arnold, Zosterops eat insects, spiders, soft fruits and nectar. They are not unlike Vireos in habit but are totally unrelated.

Japanese White-eye was introduced into Hawaii and is now one of the most numerous land birds on the Hawaiian archipelago where they seem to out-compete native nectarivorous species such as Hawaiian honeycreepers.

[Palustris]

This is a rather sad sight in the field next to our property. This is an erythristic badger. They lack the black pigment so they are ginger and white. Possibly a victim of a car which crawled off to die here.

[Palustris]

And reading through the mention of Waxwings reminded me of this one in the garden last month.

[ArnoldT]

Thanks, Steve.

I have squirrels which eat the opening buds on a Quince tree.

[Steve Garvie]

Islay holds almost all that remains of Scotland's Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) population. This enigmatic crow is at the most northerly extent of its range here and is unfortunately now endangered. Whilst Choughs are predominantly mountain birds across most of their range, they are in North-west Europe the Celtic Crow being found on the western coastal fringes of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Isle of Man, Cornwall and Brittany.


The long curved red bill is used to probe soft soils for insect grubs, etc.


Though in flight it looks superficially like a typical crow these birds have long emarginate primary wing feathers which give extra lift in coastal winds and mountain updrafts but are less effective in sustained flapping flight in windless conditions.


First and second winter Choughs flock together over winter. The mortality rate is very high in yearling birds whilst a declining gene pool is resulting in increased cases of congenital blindness linked to expression of a recessive gene. To improve survival of young birds in late winter supplementary feeding with mealworms has been introduced. This seems to be working as the Islay population has crept up over the last couple of years.


In Western Europe Chough are almost entirely dependent upon heavily grazed coastal pasture/machair and in winter they obtain much of their insect food from well-rotted cow pats. They struggle with hard frosts and prolonged snow cover. Another big issue is the widespread (almost prophylactic) use of anthelmintics in cattle to treat lungworm infections, etc. These drug treatments typically involve "mectins" such as Doramectin and Ivermectin which are also insecticidal to cow pats.

-All images taken on Islay in late January 2017.

[Cfred72]

Very beautiful bird that I did not know. What sad fate do we reserve for the world? You will tell me it is always the same debate. But I often ask myself the question, nevertheless.
Steve, if I understand the translation, this corvid lived in the mountains and now on the cliffs of the coast? How did he get to feed himself in the mountains with his prospecting in the mud? Maybe I did not understand anything?   

[ashley]

Beautiful choughs Steve, and fine photos with great detail.  I love these birds for their buoyant playful flight and evocative call. 
Fortunately they are still fairly widespread along the south and west coasts of Ireland but in small numbers.  In-breeding must be a hazard but I wasn't aware of the congenital blindness problem.

[brianw]

Never really associated the Chough with Scotland, although I think I have seen it there on the west coast. A Pembroke bird to me, and SW cliffs maybe. Only 1% of population in the UK according to the BTO http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob15590.htm

[Steve Garvie]

A Roe doe -taken on Islay by Marian (my wife):

[admin]

Love the choughs Steve.

[Maggi Young]

Copying this photo from Cohan Fulford who showed it  on Facebook -


"Bonasa umbellus/Ruffed Grouse ; male in full display; saw this beauty when I was in the bush on the farm cutting wood; these birds are not terribly shy-- I only realised he was there when a female flew away as I approached pulling a sled with wood (noisy on the crunchy snow)- but I had passed that spot a couple of times not long before, and was using the chain say 10-20m away. Usually displaying males quickly deflate and slink away when approached, this one stayed still fully fluffed, and only slowly began to move off as I approached-- still displaying.. I only followed him a few metres, then let him go about his business. February 16, 2017, near Condor, Alberta, Canada"



P.S. Cohan says "hi" to everyone!

[Maggi Young]

These photos, from itchydog images on flikr,  of plant "pests" in China  - somehow gave me pause to be grateful we do not have such well-hidden critters here....


Geometrid Moth Caterpillar (Tanaorhinus viridiluteatus, Geometrinae, Geometridae)
Pu'er, Yunnan, China

https://www.flickr.com/photos/itchydogimages/8378397533/



Shield-backed bug nymphs (Plataspidae)  https://flic.kr/p/ePzmFx 

How's that for masters of disguise?

[David Lyttle]

I met this spider at 1960 m on the Remarkables near Queenstown. He/she has this wonderful ginger moustache. If he is a she it is even more remarkable.

[Cfred72]

Very pretty jumping spider.

[David Nicholson]

Whilst travelling on the M4 last week we (well the co-pilot really) counted 32 Red Kites between Reading and Slough and travelling back to Devon earlier this week a further 17 on the same stretch.