Wildlife September - November 2012

[Anthony Darby]

Post codes in NZ seem to apply to quite large districts, whole suburbs, or in my case, a whole RD number (that's a Rural Delivery, not a Road) not single streets. It is assumed I guess that anyone posting an article would have the gumption to put the delivery address as well as the post code.

It makes return addresses on parcels more obscure to the casual observer and filling in of addresses for internet use very quick. Just insert post code and street number. Adding extras, like putting 'by Stirling' into my address when I lived in Dunblane would delay a letter by a day.

[Anthony Darby]

Beluga style:

[mark smyth]

If Corvids, parrots, parakeets, dogs and cats on Youtube can I'd say whales can also.

Has everyone seen chimps solving puzzles quicker than humans?

[annew]

I'm still getting over singing mice...

[Stephenb]

Waxwings have arrived on the Shetlands. I hope it will be a Waxwing year

A week ago waxwing numbers here were way down on last year , but just the last week there has been a large influx with numbers now well up on last year with flocks of over 1,000 birds seen in the north. I had a small group flycatching over the house at the weekend! Wonderful to see how dexterous they are in the air.  Perhaps bad news for UK sightings is that there's a lot of rowan berries for them to eat this year over here...

[mark smyth]

I've just let out an almighty girlie scream. The biggest house spider I've ever seen was on the wall beside the front door. It's body was 2.5 or 3cm long  ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I was brave enough to take a photo 

[Peter Maguire]

Don't keep us waiting Mark, where's the photo?

[annew]

Perhaps we ought to send smelling salts?

[David Nicholson]

He's a wus!

[Lesley Cox]

The sight of the photo has sent him over the edge.

I saw a very large garden spider the other day when moving and cleaning up some potted hostas for relocation. It was a kind I've seen often but only a fraction of the size. It had a soft, shiny body, brown with reddish legs. It was maybe 3cms long and to my great shame, I stood on it.

[mark smyth]

SPIDER!!!

There was no way I was putting my finger in the shot for comparrison

[Peter Maguire]

It's ever so slightly blurred. Surely your hand wasn't shaking? 

[Anthony Darby]

Nice spider.  I've yet to find an Avondale spider. I suspect they took all the NZ ones for use in 'Arachnophobia'?

[mark smyth]

Peter was I was shaking. It might have attacked me. The size was approx the same as making a C shape with finger and thumb

[TC]

These spiders regularly appear in our house in Autumn.  Often in the bath in the morning or coming in under the living room door.  Totally harmless but they tickle when lifted.
I even stepped on one in the bath and only noticed when I was emptying it