Wildlife February 2012

[Anthony Darby]

Let's start February with a butterfly. Here is Rauparaha's copper (Lycaena rauparaha) photographed on its foodplant Pohuehue (Muehlenbeckia complexa), a clump of which was planted next to the conveniences near to the Sea Scout Hut at Devonport, North Shore, Auckland. The female laid a tiny pale blue egg as I watched, then flew off to lay another. There were sparrows on the bush above which account for the ragged wings of the males.

[annew]

Not that my husband is soft... but he put the heater on in the garage this morning while the mouse was in there waiting for release time.

[mark smyth]

wait till I see him ...

Nice flutterbys

[Anthony Darby]

I'm thinking the first one might be an old faded female?

[Lesley Cox]

Not that my husband is soft... but he put the heater on in the garage this morning while the mouse was in there waiting for release time.

It was only concern for the poor little mouse who was cold.
I can't believe you actually release Homer and his mates. I have to tell you that here, he would have been a gonner long ago.

Lovely butterflies Anthony. I've never seen anything like them down this way. I don't think Te Rauparaha made it to the far south either.

[Anthony Darby]

You should see this one Lesley? http://nzbutterfly.info/resident/common-copper/index.htm Plant a patch of Puhoehoe.

[daveyp1970]

WOW Anthony what a stunning copper.

[annew]

Lesley, if we were to kill them (for a start, my daughter would be upset) or translocate them, then how would we know whether we have managed to plug the holes they're using to get in? We've just about narrowed it down to a possible tunnel from under Barry's shed to under the foundations somewhere. Marge is the champion so far, though SM1 and SM2 (shed mice) got in on the act for a while.

[Anthony Darby]

I used to turn them into mice lollies for the snakes.

[annew]

SSSSHH! The walls have little round ears round here!

[Lesley Cox]

I used to turn them into mice lollies for the snakes.

I love this. Did you put a stick in them before freezing and have to hold the lollies so the snakes could eat them?

[Anthony Darby]

When a mouse is frozen its tail is the stick.

[mark smyth]

Watch out Martin B! A big cat has been filmed close to Stroud
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4112450/Big-cat-news-6ft-leapard-like-beast-captured-on-video-in-Stroud.html

[RichardW]

what a load of tosh! it moves nothing like a cat and exactly like a dog, just looks like a fox to me

I wish these so called experts would just shut up until they've got conclusive evidence, instead of grainy distant footage which proves nothing at all.

[mark smyth]

looking again it does move like a dog