Wildlife summer 2012

[daveyp1970]

Anthony i just saw this on TV,another human feat to be proud of

[Stephenb]

Mark: I heard my first swift from home this year, so rushed inside to put on the CD you sent me of courting swifts and within 5 minutes I had a spectacular display of 7 Swifts repeatedly divebombing the eaves of the house where I have a nestbox! 

...and today just as I was about to leave for work there were 2 birds back prospecting (without me playing the CD!). I only have the one box...

[Anthony Darby]

Anthony i just saw this on TV,another human feat to be proud of

Yes, sailors of old used the tortoises as a form of tinned food as they would live up to a year in a ship's hold. I'm afraid, even now, if the "locals" (there is no native population) are upset because they can't just do what they want, they just go and slaughter a few tortoises. I can understand why the Galápagos belong to Ecuador but why the wave of settlement by fishermen and farmers was allowed goodness knows. These restrictions were in place before they arrived!

[mark smyth]

Very exciting Stephen. Cant you play the CD all day?

I'd worry about only one nest box. Last week English swifts fought over a nest box resulting in one dying.

In a Belgian nest box a new male took over a nest box and killed the chicks while the resident female was out out getting food .

[mark smyth]

Some videos from yesterday

a chick gets fed and the parent scoops some poop to recycle. Look at the size of the food bolus/ball in the chicks neck. It contains over 300 insects made up mostly of aphids and non biting midges


nest building begins


when a swift comes home it always announces its arrival "honey I'm home". With a beak full of feathers it must be difficult and it gets a brief beating. After some quiet seperation they continue as if nothing happened

[mark smyth]

and a video from this afternoon

[johnw]

On the news today at a golf course about 40km outside the city a golfer started to his first round when a cockatiel landed on his shoulder and stayed there for the next 8 holes.  It was retrieved in the clubhouse where it was sent to lost and found.

johnw

[Roma]

Two butterflies seen at Hatton Castle near Turriff on Saturday.  It was dry till after lunchtime!  In my own garden I'm rarely seeing white butterflies let alone any other kind.
Red Admiral on Libertia
Painted Lady on Catmint

[mark smyth]

A Painted Lady! I hope some come my way this summer

[David Nicholson]

Yeh, me too

[daveyp1970]

I can not tell you how happy i am,i managed to photograph a Hummingbird Hawk Moth,it's the first time i have EVER seen this moth and wow,what an incredible thing it is.




Sorry about the quality of the pics!

[Maggi Young]

Well done, Davey!
Quite extraordinary how much it does look like a humming bird, isn't it? 

Don't you feel rather sad for all those folks who go through life without ever taking delight in such things? 

[daveyp1970]

Well done, Davey!
Quite extraordinary how much it does look like a humming bird, isn't it? 

Don't you feel rather sad for all those folks who go through life without ever taking delight in such things? 

Maggie it baffles me how much some folk just don't get it,for me there isn't nothing like seeing a natural wonder for the first time be it plant or animal ect,two people gave me a really confused look as they walked past me lying down taking these pics not knowing that this moth has just accomplished a massive migration for an insect and i am privileged  to have it feed on my garden....Does life get any better.

[TC]

Mark
What clearance on approach to your nest boxes do the Swifts need ?
I live in a bungalow with conjoined garages with my neighbour  The height to the roof apex from the garage roof is about 10 feet and the gable ends of the buildings are about 20 feet apart.

From ground to the roof ridge is about 20 feet.  Would this be enough room for Swift to access a nest box.?

I have been thinking about putting nest boxes up now for about 20 years but I always thought that there would not be enough room for the birds to get in.

However, looking at your videos, your site seems similar to the area I would have.

[mark smyth]

10 feet is plenty. My gable nests are 2.4m uo the wall but there is good clearence from the sloped roof. My under eave nest boxes are 1.3m with a sloping roof below. I know of many nests where I can just about reach the entrance