Wildlife - Summer, Autumn 2008

[Anthony Darby]

Isn't it a parliament of rooks?

The wee moths in the crocus flower look like carpet moths (Epirrhoe alternata)?

I find Sedum spectabile better than 'Herbstfreude'. My neighbour has the latter and it rarely has any butterflies on it. Plenty of bumbees. I have the former in it attracts peacocks and small tortoiseshells. That red admiral better get its skates on if it is to head back south again before winter kills it off.

[ranunculus]

Isn't it a parliament of rooks?

You left out the initial 'C', Anthony!    

 Glad you are feeling better now...

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

A couple of wildlife pictures from the Australian National Botanic Gardens here in Canberra, taken this week....

The first are a pair of babies in the nest of a Red Wattlebird.  Won't be much longer before they're out and about I would hazard.  The nest has been built on the main concourse, just above head height, in an Acacia (bright yellow) that has a Hardenbergia (bright purple) climbing through it.  The combination is quite stunning, and many people photograph it, never realising there is a nest there in their picture too. 

Secondly I have a pic of one of the, what we thought at the time were deserted but they weren't, babies of the Maned Duck (or Wood Duck).  Cute little tiny fluffy bundles of squeaking cuteness!! 

[mark smyth]

ahhhhhh

[ranunculus]

Now that is cute ...

(Thinks! - orange sauce) ... sorry!

[ranunculus]

Quite a shock to see this enormous gull swoop down and snatch a calf from the meadow ...

I will take the prescribed medicine folks ...

[mark smyth]

hmmmm

Paul is your duckling an Australian Wood Duck or the north American Wood duck? - kust wondering

[Roma]

Thanks for the moth I.D. Anthony.  They do look like the ones whose caterpillars were eating the water matting in the greenhouse 2 years ago.  Greenfly, whitefly, red spider, vine weevil then maggots eating the water matting.  The bugs really had it in for me that year.  I was surprised to see so  many butterflies on 'Herbstfreude' .  I have noticed 'Brilliant' to be popular, but my plant is a bit overgrown by grass this year.  Sedum 'Indian Chief is very popular with butterflies and bumble bees.
The red admirals have only appeared in the last 2 or 3 weeks .  I remember counting over 25 feeding on ivy flowers the last weekend in October two years ago, when we had a much better summer and a warm spell towards the end of October.
I visited Cambo and Kellie Castle in Fife at the end of August on a very warm, sunny day and was astounded at the numbers of butterflies, particularly on eupatorium and buddleia. At that time I had only seen one small copper and 1 or 2 peacocks in my own garden. 

[Paul T]

Mark,

Not sure, I didn't catch their accent! 

When I get home from work this evening I'll post a pic of an adult.  Commonly called a wood duck here, but technically is the "Maned Duck" I think.

[Anthony Darby]

Thanks for the moth I.D. Anthony.  They do look like the ones whose caterpillars were eating the water matting in the greenhouse 2 years ago. 
 

Roma, carpet moths are so called because of the intricate patterns on their wings. Their caterpillars are 'loopers' (family Geometridae) and feed on various trees, shrubs and other plants according to their species.

[David Lyttle]

It was a nice warm day today with this visiting tui competing for nectar with the resident bellbirds in my garden. It is feeding on Fuchsia excorticata the New Zealand tree fuchsia. As soon as I snapped this picture he was off. He was not easy to photograph as he was weaving through the branches as he was feeding. The bellbird that arrived soon after did not stick around long enough for me to photograph him.

[Martin Baxendale]

Nothing very exciting, but Ivi and I were amazed to find this little shrew amongst scree just a couple of hundred feet below the summit of Mt. Snowdon in North Wales last month. Not sure quite how they survive through the year at that altitude.

[Michael J Campbell]

Drinking buddies

[Martin Baxendale]

This should really be in the weather thread, but since I'm already here posting the pic of the shrew on Snowdon...

It was the first time in many climbs on Snowdon that we found the summit cloudless with stunning views. According to the workmen building the new cafe at the top, they only see a couple of cloud-free days a year!

We were very lucky with the weather for our anniversary weekend trip to North Wales. I was less lucky when I made a stupid mistake on loose rock during our scramble round the Snowdon ridges and dived nose-first down a scree, making a bit of a mess of a knee and both wrists (which is why I haven't been posting for a while).
 

[mark smyth]

Michael! You have a Turtle Dove in your garden!! They are very rare over here

Martin that's a mouse in your photo