Had this big bugger at work today. Pretty sure it was him setting off the intruder alarm on Sunday. Not had time to look it up, but reckon a Hawk Moth? -
I dealt with this jet black hairy monster alone - at midnight last night.
By the time I got him downstairs he was playing dead.
He suddenly thought better of it and sprang back to normal shape. I released him over my neighbours fence with a dire warning. Next time it would be the toilet pan!
I just checked my Silver Y collection and was very disappointed that none of the others had the monkey's head look. I did find this one though with a sort of sinister devil's head with goats horns.
Sorry about the terrible picture (poor light, at distance with a compact camera). What a fantastic find seeing this in Stratford this morning. Less than 5 minutes walk away from the Olympic Stadium.
Another day another Kingfisher (don't worry, I won't be posting them every day). This one was about half mile away on the River Lea, close to the Olympic Velodrome. Still just a little compact camera, but this one was nearer and the light was better.
This Seal is in a fishing lake near Rochford Rail Station (just north of Southend Airport). It's been there for about a month now. It must have got there by swimming up the River Roach to the point where it is only a couple of feet wide. Terrible pictures (but visibility was horrible today). You can see though that it had caught a whopper of a fish, it's only problem was seeing the gulls away whilst it dined. It's estimated that in the last month it's munched its way through £4,000 worth of fish stocks. If I get the chance before it's liberated, I'll go back and get some pictures in good light.
This Seal is in a fishing lake near Rochford Rail Station (just north of Southend Airport). It's been there for about a month now. It must have got there by swimming up the River Roach to the point where it is only a couple of feet wide. Terrible pictures (but visibility was horrible today). You can see though that it had caught a whopper of a fish, it's only problem was seeing the gulls away whilst it dined. It's estimated that in the last month it's munched its way through £4,000 worth of fish stocks. If I get the chance before it's liberated, I'll go back and get some pictures in good light.
There was an item on Look East (BBC local news for East Anglia) last night about increasingly odd seal behaviour in Norfolk. They are swimming up rivers, and in the Norfolk Broads. There are even a few wandering around high streets. One had visited a kebab shop. Perhaps that seemed a better option than raw fish.
Not inner city as they were in the country near cheddar but anyone know which caterpillars make this?
Could be oak processionary caterpillars or pine processionary caterpillars. They can be lethal to humans and mammals as their tiny hairs get into the lungs and it's impossible to get rid of them. You see them a lot in France, walking along in a line, hence their name
Not inner city as they were in the country near cheddar but anyone know which caterpillars make this?
Could be oak processionary caterpillars or pine processionary caterpillars. They can be lethal to humans and mammals as their tiny hairs get into the lungs and it's impossible to get rid of them. You see them a lot in France, walking along in a line, hence their name
I've never seen Processionary Caterpillars except in pictures. They look brilliant though, so I hope to one day.
With some caterpillars, the name indicates their preferred and in some cases, only, foodplant. I don't know how fussy the Processionaries are, but that's not oak or pine. A type of moth I thought of that builds tents like this is the Ermine Moths (Yponomeuta). There are at least eight species in the UK though, and most can only be distinguished by identifying the foodplant. Unfortunately I'm hopeless at identifying plants. Anyone know what sort of plant they are on?
There is a Mandarin (or Mandarins?) that periodically visit in Chislehurst, and generally disappears after a week. This time he has been back for a month. I think the main thing keeping him here is that he appears to now have a mate. Sadly for him, that mate is a female mallard!
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By the time I got him downstairs he was playing dead.
He suddenly thought better of it and sprang back to normal shape. I released him over my neighbours fence with a dire warning. Next time it would be the toilet pan!
They have burrowed under grass. When I accidentally disturbed them they went nuts, but then dragged all the grass back to hide their.... Hive?
Maybe 15mm across. Pretty little thing.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/B0kraOKrxQo2/
Sorry about the terrible picture (poor light, at distance with a compact camera). What a fantastic find seeing this in Stratford this morning. Less than 5 minutes walk away from the Olympic Stadium.
In my childhood they wore bowler hats & carried rolled umbrellas as badges of office....
Another day another Kingfisher (don't worry, I won't be posting them every day). This one was about half mile away on the River Lea, close to the Olympic Velodrome. Still just a little compact camera, but this one was nearer and the light was better.
This Seal is in a fishing lake near Rochford Rail Station (just north of Southend Airport). It's been there for about a month now. It must have got there by swimming up the River Roach to the point where it is only a couple of feet wide. Terrible pictures (but visibility was horrible today). You can see though that it had caught a whopper of a fish, it's only problem was seeing the gulls away whilst it dined. It's estimated that in the last month it's munched its way through £4,000 worth of fish stocks. If I get the chance before it's liberated, I'll go back and get some pictures in good light.
https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23260111.rochford-reservoir-seal-nicknamed-nelson-locals/
With some caterpillars, the name indicates their preferred and in some cases, only, foodplant. I don't know how fussy the Processionaries are, but that's not oak or pine. A type of moth I thought of that builds tents like this is the Ermine Moths (Yponomeuta). There are at least eight species in the UK though, and most can only be distinguished by identifying the foodplant. Unfortunately I'm hopeless at identifying plants. Anyone know what sort of plant they are on?
Great picture.