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buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 20 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Which plant was it on? Habitat is often useful for ID purposes. Unlikely to do you much harm but insect secretions and eyes are often a bad mix. Also, from experiences, insects flying off rape fields are best not ingested when cycling past - they frequently taste vile.

Henry

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 20 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

the blind thing was caused by a beetle that squirted me , a couple of days was dark and nasty, got better over the next few days

pretty beast , lived in the derbyshire rain forest, only one i have ever met

Shane



Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 3467
Location: Doha. Is hot.
PostPosted: Sun May 24, 20 5:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

iNaturalist suggests that your wee beastie could be a willow leaf beetle. Looks like there are several species, some of which have varying degrees of red on them.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sun May 24, 20 8:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The robin that has built a nest in the log frame now has chicks according to son. The nest is easy to see, but I think they kept their heads down when I went to look. Although we are using the frame at least every other day, they don't seem particularly bothered.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun May 24, 20 2:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

tweed was feeding a fledgling, not her own
she has been taking food back to the colony as well

the handmaid thing does seem real

the boys are being a bit assertive in both a "hello" and "are you looking at my wife's beak" sort of way

the fledglings are learning and the older fledglings getting on with lunch unaided

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun May 24, 20 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Shane wrote:
iNaturalist suggests that your wee beastie could be a willow leaf beetle. Looks like there are several species, some of which have varying degrees of red on them.


it looks very like this one

thanks

it makes sense as there are several huge willows about and i have a baby one in a big tub

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Mon May 25, 20 7:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We get beetles chuntering around the yard. Think they are some sort of oil beetle, but have never really tried to ID them. We also get some sort of grubs in the sawdust pile; usually removed by the badgers, who dig the pile over in the summer. When that happens, we have to be a bit careful as they leave the holes for us to fall into.

The great tit in the foreend loader frame was going back and forth a bit yesterday, but don't think there are nestlings yet as it wasn't frequent enough. Must either have been change of shift for the parents incubating or the male feeding the female.

Also saw a fox crossing the track as we went into the wood yesterday, so could have cubs and be out hunting at all times of day.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 20 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    



second try, i could tweak it a bit more but im having a bill day, MS updates are a nightmare when stuff is set up , it wants to do its thing while i want to do mine and the ############# think i want the stuff i strip out as useless or worse, im talking about you cortana but you are a minor issue compared to adjusting my filing protocols again

i got a couple of half decent snaps of two of the fledglings(later) and id snaps/flying things

young bracket is fine and looks very well, mr brack looks exhausted and has lost weight since he became a dad again(if i understand why he is shopping more than eating)
mrs brack is fine and pops in for her food , water and i expect a quick rest, she often looks pleased to be off the nest

lots of baby sparrows, maybe half a dozen out so far but plenty in the nesting bush next door who sound about ready to fledge

tweed still seems to be feeding little uns, whether that is for one nest or for any youngster that squeaks and opens a beak im not sure, i have seen her feed one who was out, but she does carry food off to the nests

feed two from different clutches of fledge ones might answer that question.

the handmaid thing seems real, not seen a boy doing it , as far as i know, they seem to bring one or two to show them where the mug provides dinner

a rather striking thing is that the young uns that are out are very comfy about me being close as their parents are pretty ok with me.
each generation seems to get more tolerant of me going by their "personal space radius" over the last few years, they hide or leave if tt pops out, the hound is treated as a problem or is teased from a safe elevation if by himself, if i am with him they are more than cautious but get out of reach rather than go and come back later.

not seen grin for a while, we are probably due a visit.
grin was about a few days back but had been spotted before getting organized, i saw one passover but it was not going to waste time on birds in the bushes some of whom were shouting "hawk"

the different alarm calls for avian and terrestrial are quite useful to me as well as them

the woodies are still popping in, fat ankles might be feeding a squab and is very hostile to two sticks, the first squab has disappeared, either moved or fallen
i will try to snap a pigeon fight, it is rather spectacular

the sammisons are busy and might have recently evicted the first litter of the year, either that or a stranger was being seen off more than once

youngi sammison is quite buff and mikki sammison still has huge dark ears

Jonnyboy



Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 20 5:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nice pic dpack.

Surprisingly we get fewer sparrows out where we are, but loads of tits ( great, coal, blue), bullfinch, chaffinch, and best of all yellowhammers. The robins seem to have drawn a truce in they usual territorial disputes. Whilst the starlings in the garage have raised their first clutch of the year. Dad starling is a thoroughly modern parent and does a huge amount of work from dawn until dusk.

As I type the red kites are out casing the field beyond for breakfast

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed May 27, 20 7:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nice picture, and nice bird reports from both of you. I was watching the great tits from the fore end loader yesterday and I think they may have nestlings as they were in and out a lot more than before. Haven't been near the log rack as I don't want to disturb the robin.

My experience is that fledglings are more trusting of people than adult birds, and the 'safe zone' seems to be more learnt behaviour. I have frequently had wren mothers calling to their offspring who are foraging along the side of a path to 'come away from that nasty human'. As with most teenagers, they tend to ignore mum to some extent, although probably ready to 'run' if human turns aggressive.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 20 9:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

the white tail bees are gathering pollen as well as nectar so the new colony or colonies seem to be established and getting bigger

good, i was a bit worried after the "attic clearance"

other bees are in the usual numbers for this time of year, it is not until the bramble flowers(pretty soon looking at the buds)that i get the huge increase in spp and numbers

i have a macro lens and am not scared to use it
famous last etc as i grow an angry beebeard

actually i have an understanding with the bees and wasps so i hope that is maintained with this generation

some of the little critters are not so diplomatic, flower bugs have a nasty nip and i do not lean on the big shed(see suspected false widow residents above )
the wood shed tunnel spiders are fierce and i am pretty careful trying to get a snap of them, so far i have the components(snap of web, spider enticed out with lunch, decent light if i time it well etc))but i have not got all of those together yet.
using a camera and feeding a live lunch to a moderately nasty spider in a few seconds(they are fast)is a bit of an acquired skill which so far i am finding a steep learning curve.
watch this space to see if i get snaps or bitten

waiting for a natural lunch to deliver itself is not an option, they go days without feeds and getting one when the other components are in place could take years

the huge "garden spiders" are scary to look at and quite defiant if approached but as wrestling predators have little for me to fear, i will delve and snap them when i feel like sorting the woodshed a bit.

spider vs speedlight at close range might be a bit harsh but it would give decent snaps and the sammisons live in the wood shed as well so i do not want to disturb them unless i have to. the last time i was shaking mice out of compost which was a bit rude of me.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 20 10:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Jonnyboy wrote:
Nice pic dpack.

Surprisingly we get fewer sparrows out where we are, but loads of tits ( great, coal, blue), bullfinch, chaffinch, and best of all yellowhammers. The robins seem to have drawn a truce in they usual territorial disputes. Whilst the starlings in the garage have raised their first clutch of the year. Dad starling is a thoroughly modern parent and does a huge amount of work from dawn until dusk.

As I type the red kites are out casing the field beyond for breakfast


interesting that starlings seem to have similar childcare arrangements to blackbirds, i have only really met them as diners and not been in a nesting place

kites are ace, they were the street cleaners of medieval york.
not a problem if you are still alive enough to wriggle
first i saw was in the 1970's when they must have been very rare, the reintroduction stuff the rspb and others have done is ace

some still murder them but they really are not a problem , plenty kill them as bycatch when illegally poisoning foxes and crows either of which, if a serious problem, can be dispatched tidily.

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45389
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 20 10:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Plenty of birds of prey here, and they seem to be much more prominent. Normally there'll be quite a lot of bird damage to buds and new growth in the orchard but pretty much none this year. The Buzzard's pretty much put most of the day, sparrowhawks, kestrels, barn owl and tawny owl all thriving. Loads of squirrels and muntjac too, 3 apple trees completely stripped of bark.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 20 10:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Are there wood thrush in the isles? I'm given a beautiful evening concert every day.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed May 27, 20 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

and muntjac too, 3 apple trees completely stripped of bark.

does fruit wood smoked jerky seems a plausible option to that?

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