Wildlife November 2011

[daveyp1970]

Anthony the cicada are just lovely little things are they are any larger sp there as well?

[Anthony Darby]

There are a couple of species of cicada round here that are getting up to 2" long: the chorus cicada (Amphipsalta cingulata and the clapping cicada (A. zaelandica). In both species clap their wings in response to the male.

Maggi, the frogs must be quite common, as I can usually find two or three in one small dry ditch of toetoe upokotangata, or giant umbrella sedge (Cyperus ustulatus) with Dietes grandiflora self seeding from flower borders in the car park it borders.

[Paul T]

Here's my Red Wattle Bird that roosts at night out in our Cornus florida near the bottom of our front stairs.  It roosted in the same place last year for a few months as well, but I haven't checked whether it was the same timing as this year or not.  2 pics attached, one with him tucked up asleep, and one when he woke up as I was leaving.  I had finished photographing and had turned to leave.... when I glanced back he was watching me, so I returned and took a last photo of him awake.  I thought I'd managed to not disturb him at all until then.

[mark smyth]

very exposed Paul.

[mark smyth]

The European crane is a rare winter visitor to Ireland with one or two every year.

There are 35 in two flocks this year

[Anthony Darby]

I'm reading the travel diaries of a chap who called himself an anserophile.

More monarch caterpillar pictures, and, Maggi be warned, a wee jumping spider.

[Maggi Young]

I'm reading the travel diaries of a chap who called himself and anserophile.

More monarch caterpillar pictures, and, Maggi be warned, a wee jumping spider.

... or AN anserophile, even......

Sir Peter Scott: "... in four days with the Red-breasts I shall never forget the unparalleled thrill of discovering we had thousands of them in front of us ... it was one of the most stirring sights that an anserophile could imagine..."


 

[Anthony Darby]

Just read that - page 227 - now on page 252 "In search of Bewick's swans in Siberia". Now where did that 'd' spring from?

Here's another monarch caterpillar about 1 cm long, and a tiny mantis, which is Miomantis caffra, the introduced South African springbok mantis. This newly hatched one is about 3 mm long.

[Paul T]

Anthony,

That little mantis is so cute.  Our local green ones here tend to have babies that are black, I assume to merge in with the shadows?  Yours has stripes to break it's outline.  Otherwise, almost identical in shape etc, just not colour. 

[Lesley Cox]

I love the Monarch caterpillars, as they get bigger and bigger and bigger

[mark smyth]

Did you hear the disco / techno birds on BBC1's One Show?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017chzj/The_One_Show_15_11_2011/ 17 minutes from the start

A music producer realised that blackbirds, song thrushes and great tits sing to a 127bpm beat

Cool or what?

[Paul T]

Anthony,

Having not seen any baby Mantis for years, I came across a little one this morning when watering.  Or rather, a little one came across me (I found it on my arm).  No camera with me, but such a coincidence to see one after many years without, within a couple of days of mentioning it here. 

[Anthony Darby]

Talk of the devil and it appears Paul. It's a long time since I won anything on the lottery.

[Hoy]

What kind of birds do you have in Ireland? Found this on a newspaper site here. (You have to copy the id number too)


http://www.vgtv.no/#!id=46303

[Anthony Darby]

Are they not starlings?