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Post by davwel on Aug 28, 2022 15:29:28 GMT
LL:
I`ve sent your picture to an Aberdeen entomologist today, so I am confident you will get an answer in a day or so. I will post it here.
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Post by davwel on Aug 28, 2022 16:05:13 GMT
I have put on a picture of the Magellan Ragwort, which is a rare plant in the UK but has some colonies in NE Scotland. But the plant is seemingly abundant on the Magellan Peninsula at the tip of South America.
Our NE "folk-lore" tells that it was brought back by the whalers from Peterhead and planted at their cottages and crofts, this to prove that they had made the tough trip.
How the species got its name smithii I don`t know. But the Smith family is numerous in NE Scotland, owning mansions and having produced some notable liberal-minded politicians, who have held high government positions in recent decades.
I have a personal tale to tell. I noticed an old record of this very rare UK species near Kildrummy Castle (owned by one of the family), so wanted to check it was still there. So I approached from the South and door-knocked at the farm which likely tenanted the ground. And when the wifie appeared, I asked permission.
Oh gang awa - nae bother at a`. But dinna let Mr Smith catch ye - he`s awful particular ye ken.
I found the colony, but this pic is from another more-hostile estate. So no location.
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Post by mandolinist on Aug 29, 2022 6:18:53 GMT
i have just watched a crow take a woodpigeon out of a tree and kill it on the road outside my house, it was joined by two others as the pigeon was flapping around on the ground. The corpse is now lying there and two magpies are lurking nearby. I would be surprised if the crows have the necessary tools to butcher the carcass, so I am unclear what is actually going on here. Do crows, either alone or in a group, a murder presumeably, kill other largeish birds for food? If so, how do they get the meat off the carcass?
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Post by davwel on Aug 29, 2022 8:07:29 GMT
Leftie: Your moth is Straw Underwing, Thalpophila matura. Had you got a glimpse of the bright yellow/orange lower wings, you might have managed to identify it yourself. This moth is quite common in Southern and Eastern England, but does exist along the UK East Coast well to the N. easymap.nbnatlas.org/EasyMap?tvk=NBNSYS0000006399&w=400&b0fill=39B0D5The Essex Field Club have put on the web a skilful time series of occurrence, showing recent spread. I wish we had as many recorders up North. |
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Post by alec on Aug 30, 2022 15:21:16 GMT
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Post by mandolinist on Aug 31, 2022 8:09:15 GMT
Thank you alec. I am impressed that you found this, I went hunting for this information, but maybe because I limited myself to UK sites, I didn't find it. I wonder if the Hooded crows pictured behave more aggresively than the carrion crows I see here in the south west of England. I am still pleased to see a new (to me) behaviour in a common bird, even if it was by luck rather than concerted effort on my part given that I was reading in bed when I noticed the furore outside! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2022 9:58:51 GMT
Thank you alec . I am impressed that you found this, I went hunting for this information, but maybe because I limited myself to UK sites, I didn't find it. I wonder if the Hooded crows pictured behave more aggresively than the carrion crows I see here in the south west of England. I am still pleased to see a new (to me) behaviour in a common bird, even if it was by luck rather than concerted effort on my part given that I was reading in bed when I noticed the furore outside! Those are jackdaws-not hooded crows. www.istockphoto.com/photos/jackdawebird.org/species/hoocro1This is a carrion crow:-https://www.newsflare.com/video/199790/disturbing-crow-attacking-and-killing-a-pigeon |
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Post by mandolinist on Aug 31, 2022 17:55:06 GMT
Actually colin, on reflection, I think they are neither. It is an American site, and they are most likely an American species of crow. Jackdaws have a different arrangement of grey and black, smaller beaks, and shorter legs than the pictures that alec linked to. Perhaps we need a Scottish specialist to rule out hooded crow? I really like crows, ravens, jackdaws and even magpies. They are clever, cruel and survive where many other birds do not. . .a bit like politicians. |
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Post by alec on Aug 31, 2022 18:25:58 GMT
colin and mandolinist - to me, they are clearly not jackdaws and the bill and colouration denote hoodies. However, I don't know if this is a different American corvid, but I do note that hooded crows are not native to the US, although there are sightings. I have had a brief look here www.birds-of-north-america.net/crows.html and can't see anything else that looks likely, so I suspect it is a stock photo of some hoodies.
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Post by alec on Aug 31, 2022 18:27:59 GMT
Also worth noting that jackdaws aren't found in America, according to the same site, so I think these are certainly hoodies.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2022 21:15:56 GMT
colin and mandolinist - to me, they are clearly not jackdaws and the bill and colouration denote hoodies. However, I don't know if this is a different American corvid, but I do note that hooded crows are not native to the US, although there are sightings. I have had a brief look here www.birds-of-north-america.net/crows.html and can't see anything else that looks likely, so I suspect it is a stock photo of some hoodies. I was referring to the first photo of 5 Jackdaws. I see there is a photo of two Hooded Crows further down. You say this is an American website -weird since both those species are Eurasian.( though yanks call their Grackle a Jackdaw sometimes -it isnt a Corvid though) I dont see how a picture of two Hoodies eating a dead pigeon proves anything-they are carrion eaters after all. But, as I found, there are vids online of corvids attacking pigeons. |
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Post by leftieliberal on Sept 4, 2022 15:50:18 GMT
Leftie: Your moth is Straw Underwing, Thalpophila matura. Had you got a glimpse of the bright yellow/orange lower wings, you might have managed to identify it yourself. This moth is quite common in Southern and Eastern England, but does exist along the UK East Coast well to the N. easymap.nbnatlas.org/EasyMap?tvk=NBNSYS0000006399&w=400&b0fill=39B0D5The Essex Field Club have put on the web a skilful time series of occurrence, showing recent spread. I wish we had as many recorders up North. Many thanks. It had its wings folded all the time until I got it in the bottle before releasing it at dusk, so I didn't spot the hind wings. I have a range of grasses in the garden which I allow to grow most of the year, so it is possible that its larvae has been feeding here. |
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Post by mandolinist on Oct 11, 2022 22:31:29 GMT
Hi all you nature buffs, I have a question.
In my garden we had a large bumble bee nest this summer, the entry hole led into what I think was once a yellow necked mouse nest. The last couple of nights there has been evidence of digging around the nest hole. The white tailed bees have mostly disapeared from the garden, but presumeably there are or were grubs over wintering down there. We have foxes in the area and have seen them in the garden (one even died in the garden last year) Our next door neighbours had a badger in the garden a few months ago.
Is it more likely to be fox or badger digging up the bee nest? Or, rats, which we have never seen but surely must be around?
On a less mysterious note, a large tree rises up from just above the nest, a buzzard took off from it when I looked out of the window this afternoon. A garden first since we moved in, although they nest quite close by.
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Post by thylacine on Oct 12, 2022 1:26:20 GMT
Hi all you nature buffs, I have a question. In my garden we had a large bumble bee nest this summer, the entry hole led into what I think was once a yellow necked mouse nest. The last couple of nights there has been evidence of digging around the nest hole. The white tailed bees have mostly disapeared from the garden, but presumeably there are or were grubs over wintering down there. We have foxes in the area and have seen them in the garden (one even died in the garden last year) Our next door neighbours had a badger in the garden a few months ago. Is it more likely to be fox or badger digging up the bee nest? Or, rats, which we have never seen but surely must be around? On a less mysterious note, a large tree rises up from just above the nest, a buzzard took off from it when I looked out of the window this afternoon. A garden first since we moved in, although they nest quite close by. Hi mandolinist, we have had this kind of digging in the lawn and the compost heap and found it to be badgers. They are very partial to bugs and are known to dig up bees nests so possibly you are also on the same badger run as your neighbour. They are beautiful animals and seem very shy. We only see them when we catch them unawares. |
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Post by mandolinist on Oct 12, 2022 7:39:46 GMT
thylacine, thank you for this reply. I have now found more evidence of a badger visiting, some poo with yew aril seeds in it, which on hunting on the internet looks exactly like badger pooh after they have been feasting on them. I am now considering getting a camera for night time watching!
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Post by thylacine on Oct 12, 2022 9:06:00 GMT
thylacine, thank you for this reply. I have now found more evidence of a badger visiting, some poo with yew aril seeds in it, which on hunting on the internet looks exactly like badger pooh after they have been feasting on them. I am now considering getting a camera for night time watching! Our badgers are very partial to peanuts and at times we have been able to lure them to areas where we have good vantage points to view them from Windows at night. |
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Post by alec on Oct 19, 2022 14:25:32 GMT
mandolinist - re badger digging; I always understood this to be on quite a large scale? If they were digging out a bees nest, it would make a mess of the entrance, I would have thought? I don't know, but what about hedehogs? They do a fair bit of scruffing about and dig some reasonably sizeable holes at times. In terms of sightings, I've just looked out at the back of the house and seen four juvenile blackcock sitting on the wall. They are not uncommon in this general area, but not seen here before. Managed to grab a couple of low grade pictures which aren't really good enough to share.
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Post by mandolinist on Oct 19, 2022 18:36:50 GMT
mandolinist - re badger digging; I always understood this to be on quite a large scale? If they were digging out a bees nest, it would make a mess of the entrance, I would have thought? I don't know, but what about hedehogs? They do a fair bit of scruffing about and dig some reasonably sizeable holes at times. In terms of sightings, I've just looked out at the back of the house and seen four juvenile blackcock sitting on the wall. They are not uncommon in this general area, but not seen here before. Managed to grab a couple of low grade pictures which aren't really good enough to share. Wow, black grouse in your garden, impressed.
Actually I considered the possibility of hedgehogs, but dismissed it on two counts, 1. They are much less common locally than badgers. 2. Our garden is surrounded on all sided by stone walls, low enough for badgers and foxes to climb over in places, but an obstacle for hedgehogs.
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Post by johntel on Oct 21, 2022 12:51:47 GMT
For the last few weeks we've had a pair of magpies and a squirrel spending a lot of time in our back garden - they're always together and seem to be best of friends. I'd always thought that both species were very territorial and bad-tempered, but these seem to get on very well together. Anyone know if that's unusual?
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Post by mandolinist on Nov 1, 2022 19:36:42 GMT
During the recent period of southerly winds across this part of the country there have been numerous reports of pallid swifts. An unlooked for bonus for swift crazies like me, there are now only five months until I am likely to swifts again. As an extra bonus, swallows were seen locally yesterday.
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Mr Poppy
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Teaching assistant and now your elected PM
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Post by Mr Poppy on Dec 16, 2022 22:41:12 GMT
Anyone got any good snow pictures? These are from the last few days. Fat biking (4" tyres, nothing to do with my waistline) is great exercise and a great way to enjoy fantastic Winter scenery. First tracks on skis is even more fun, I'll post a better view once I can get to the higher terrain. I've updated my avatar: 🎄 ❄️ 💕 Attachment DeletedAttachment Deleted |
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Post by bardin1 on Dec 19, 2022 0:23:40 GMT
My wife Nikki ahead of me on the way up to our house after tonight's Birnam and Dunkeld Film Club showing of 'The Man who Invented Christmas'
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Post by leftieliberal on Dec 19, 2022 17:18:24 GMT
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Post by moby on Dec 26, 2022 9:46:43 GMT
A couple of hogs we are looking after in our new hedgehog sanctuary
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Post by shevii on Dec 26, 2022 15:08:55 GMT
A couple of hogs we are looking after in our new hedgehog sanctuary How did you come to have the hedgehogs? We have them now and again in our garden and had one for a couple of weeks earlier this year but despite two hoggie houses and hedgehog food put down every night it must have moved on. "rescued" a hedgehog who was limping (and out during daylight which apparently is an immediate take to vets criteria). Took to the hedgehog rescue's nominated vets but sadly didn't get passed on to the hedgehog centre afterwards so can't have made it. |
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Post by moby on Dec 26, 2022 17:48:47 GMT
A couple of hogs we are looking after in our new hedgehog sanctuary How did you come to have the hedgehogs? We have them now and again in our garden and had one for a couple of weeks earlier this year but despite two hoggie houses and hedgehog food put down every night it must have moved on. "rescued" a hedgehog who was limping (and out during daylight which apparently is an immediate take to vets criteria). Took to the hedgehog rescue's nominated vets but sadly didn't get passed on to the hedgehog centre afterwards so can't have made it. We are registered with local vets so that when hogs are rescued they are transferred to us after they've been checked. We then feed them and build up their weight ready for release. This time of year of course they will hibernate and feed and hopefully be ready for release in the spring. We have five at present. |
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Post by mandolinist on Dec 26, 2022 18:41:56 GMT
Ahhh moby how utterly wonderful. I haven't seen a hedgehog for quite a few years. Christmas Eve I heard a very strange sound from the garden, my first thought was a turkey(!) Then it occurred to me that it sounded more like a waterfowl of some sort, my pond is no where near big enough for this, then I wondered if covid fever dreams were having an impact at one am. On further investigation on line, it was a visitation by badgers, I had no idea they made that sort of sound. Today we had a song thrush mootching in the undergrowth, I hope it stays around to help with snail population. We have a small flock of mixed tits (20 of four species) making regular trips to the feeders when the house sparrows and blackcaps have moved to other gardens for a while. |
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Post by alec on Dec 26, 2022 22:21:42 GMT
moby - nice hedgehogs. We have them hibernating under one of our sheds, and we occasionally see them rootling about at night. Earlier this year we were kept awake by two of them mating. It was s staggeringly noisy affair, and went on for around 3 1/2 hours right beneath our bedroom. Got a lot of stamina, these hedgehogs.
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Post by bardin1 on Dec 26, 2022 22:40:38 GMT
moby - nice hedgehogs. We have them hibernating under one of our sheds, and we occasionally see them rootling about at night. Earlier this year we were kept awake by two of them mating. It was s staggeringly noisy affair, and went on for around 3 1/2 hours right beneath our bedroom. Got a lot of stamina, these hedgehogs. I can understand how it might take a lot of time - positioning before starting would be kind of important, I guess Our tortoises make similarly startling noises when having a bit of fun |
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Post by shevii on Dec 31, 2022 18:22:16 GMT
Grey squirrels obviously common but I was pleased to get this pic on our apple tree.  |
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