Wildlife September - November 2012

[Brian Ellis]

That is absolutely phenomenal Anthony, I'm dumbstruck

[Botanica]

The wildlife in Ardennes !




What is that ?

[ronm]

What is that ?

Its the larva of the Privet Hawk moth, Sphinx ligustri Botanica. Probably seeking a nice quiet place to pupate, approx 30 cms underground!!

[Martinr]

Ever wondered how big a leaf cutting ant nest really is? http://www.dump.com/biggestant/

Amazing but I kept waiting for the discalimer at the end..........'no ants were harmed in th emaking of this film'. My mind works in mysterious ways

[Anthony Darby]

I suspect "all ants were harmed in the making of this film". These huge colonies can devastate the vegetation surrounding the nest, but target different trees each day. A friend used this to design the big exhibition in the Glasgow Science Centre of leaf cutting ants for the BBC documentary Planet Ants. It's getting shown in December.

[ArnoldT]

On a you tube posting of the video it was stated that the nest was abandoned.

[Anthony Darby]

I would be surprised. They are regarded as pests and if the nest was abandoned it would be due to pest control.

[ArnoldT]

Anthony:

do you know where the video was shot?

[fredg]

I had a flight in a de Havilland Dragon. 

I see there's a DH84 Dragon missing on the sunshine coast Anthony. VH-UXG
Is that the one you flew in at the weekend?

[Roma]

Can someone please identify these ducks on a small island in the river Nith which flows through Dumfries?

[daveyp1970]

Can someone please identify these ducks on a small island in the river Nith which flows through Dumfries?

Young Red-breasted merganser as a guess

[Roma]

Thanks Davey.  I do have a few bird books but I thought it would be quicker asking here than looking them up

[Anthony Darby]

I see there's a DH84 Dragon missing on the sunshine coast Anthony. VH-UXG
Is that the one you flew in at the weekend?

No, the one I flew in is blue and silver. ZK-AXI It's not looking hopeful for the 6 people on board this plane.

Update: very sadly, the plane crashed with no survivors. The pilot was the only survivor of a crash involving the same type of plane in 1954, which killed his father (the pilot) and brother.

[arillady]

Have they found the plane finally Anthony? I too heard that his father and brother or uncle died in one too.

[Anthony Darby]

They traced the plane's position by mobile phone tracker but what they found was described as a "high impact" crash and not recognisable as a plane. http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/no-survivors-in-vintage-plane-crash-20121003-26y34.html