Wildlife April 2011

[mark smyth]

Richard were your grebes inland or at the coast?

[RichardW]

inland at a nesting site, got an invite from a ringing group to tag along, wish I had taken my camera  some of them were very close.

[David Nicholson]

Something very exciting happened in N Ireland a few weeks ago. Tesco agreed to fund and erect a swift apartment block
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFkcStwutBE[/youtube]

Bet they charge them for parking

[Lesley Cox]

Not wildlife perhaps but certainly adventurous. We saw on TV last night that a black cat called Douglas, resident at Te Puke found his way into a container at the port of Tauranga. He is the close mate of a cartage firm or the people who load the containers or something. Anyway, the container was loaded onto a ship which went, over several days, first to Sydney, to unload some, then to Melbourne and finally to Adelaide in South Australia. Douglas was found and rescued by quarantine staff in Adelaide who fed and watered him - he'd had nothing - had him vet-checked then airmailed him back to Auckland and Tauranga. I was reminded of this because one of the port guys talking about it, had TESCO blazoned across his overalls. We don't have Tescos in NZ.

The rightful minders of Douglas were worried when they knew he was returning, that the Aussies would have died him green and yellow but he was found still to be All Black, on arrival. He was apparently quite unfazed by his adventure.

[scatigaz]

Common Swift today in Northern Ireland. Need to get my nest boxes up quick.

[mark smyth]

Quick quick. I was about to announce the arrival of swifts. Do you follow nibirding?

[Olga Bondareva]

 

[Anthony Darby]

A nice portrait of Hyla arborea, the common tree frog.

[Paddy Tobin]

How well it posed for you, Olga.

Paddy

[scatigaz]

Mark, i follow birdguides mostly.

[Olga Bondareva]

A nice portrait of Hyla arborea, the common tree frog.

Yes.   It's common but not common for mid Russia. I was very pleased to meet and shoot it at Caucasus coast. I like it's hands... or legs.  

How well it posed for you, Olga.

Paddy
It was quick until I made it tired.  

[scatigaz]

Birdguides covers all the latest UK sightings.

[Anthony Darby]

Olga, quite how it came to be called the "common tree frog" I don't know as it's not found in the UK.

[TC]

Orange tips seem to be all over the place just now.  This one was taken in Geilston gardens today

[Nick_the_grief]

First up

Orange Tip Butterfly



Speckled Wood



And finishing with one of our local spots




CLose-up



Isn't spring wonderfull .. Birds singing and making nests


Chiffchaff by nick_the_grief, on Flickr