Took this in SE7 last month, after seeing it while I was outside.
Google revealed it was a female sparrowhawk - a great sight, but not so much so for the pigeon it had just knocked out of the sky...
It waited in the tree for a few minutes, presumably to track if the pigeon tried to escape, then swooped down to finish it off (which I chose not to watch while my wife gave a running commentary on).
Heard a real commotion among the local parakeets last week and she seemed to be back in another tree nearby, so it now seems to be a bit of a hunting ground.
If she can wipe out the parakeets she'll be doing all the other local, native birds a big favour.
I wish id seen this earlier. Took a photo of what i thought was an unusual looking buttterfly in Downham at the weekend and spent half an hour online looking to see if it was a rare species. Now see thats its a Jersey Tiger Moth. Im obviously no expert so didnt know moths can be day and night just assumed it was a butterfly as it was daylight.
I think that moths land with flat wings and butterflies with raised wings so that makes them easy to differentiate. I could be wrong, of course, and can't be arsed to look it up.
That's a good one, though watch out for Thorn Moths (Ennominae) that can buck the trend. Other clues are: Shape of antennae; butterflies have club-shaped antennae moths can have tapered or plumed. Butterflies wings tend to be independent whereas moths usually have hooks linking front and back wings. Moths are more likely to be nocturnal - though of course both butterflies and moths both exist during the whole 24 hours so you can still see both day or night. Ultimately though, all of these are all just indicators rather than determinants as there are always exceptions to the rule. That's why butterflies and moths are all considered part of the same family rather than two distinct families.
It basically uses recognition technology to tell you every single bird that has landed on your bird table, as well as take photos of them etc. Looks amazing.
Not inner city as they were in the country near cheddar but anyone know which caterpillars make this?
Very hard to tell without seeing what's inside as there are lots of things it could be. My best bet would be Brown-tail moths. If you get the chance to see them when they come out, they may look like this. It's the two orange spots at the arse-end that give them away.
I saw this today. No idea what it is but 100% sure that it's not a standard mallard.
Got a few pictures but this is the best one.
I'm guessing it's a hybrid as I've never seen anything quite like it. The white markings look a bit like a female Ringed Teal, though they normally have have a white mark over the eye as well.
This was on the pavement in Sidcup yesterday morning. I just spotted it before stepping on it so I hope it moved on quickly!
Seen loads recently!!! Unfortunately it hasn't been too great for most I have seen! 1 I saw was upside down getting attacked by ants, and another I was looking at, and a magpie came and grabbed it and flew off with it!!!
I saw this today. No idea what it is but 100% sure that it's not a standard mallard.
Got a few pictures but this is the best one.
I'm guessing it's a hybrid as I've never seen anything quite like it. The white markings look a bit like a female Ringed Teal, though they normally have have a white mark over the eye as well.
It has to be I think... This is the first bird/duck I have ever seen that I haven't been able to identify with my little RSPB book of UK birds or a quick internet google. I have been able to identify other crosses I have seen too though, I regularly see a cross between a Canadian and Greylag that hangs around in Chislehurst.
There is a pair of adults that is one part greylag and one part canada goose in Chislehurst, so it must be their offspring! They make such a great couple too, the greylag is always giving it Billy big bananas hissing at everyone, with the Canada goose just swimming behind it.
I really am determined to find out exactly what that is. Might go on some sort of bird watchers forum, but I fear that is the start of a slippery slope....
The trouble with ducks (although some might say it adds to the fun*) is that they as so promiscuous. So many duck species are less than fussy about what other species they go with. Many of the common hybrids are well understood and easily recognised, but it does throw up some that are difficult like yours, but that does make it more interesting.
*Not always fun for the females though who can be the victims of vicious gang rapes. Those cute, looking mallards aren't always so cute in their behaviour.
The trouble with ducks (although some might say it adds to the fun*) is that they as so promiscuous. So many duck species are less than fussy about what other species they go with. Many of the common hybrids are well understood and easily recognised, but it does throw up some that are difficult like yours, but that does make it more interesting.
*Not always fun for the females though who can be the victims of vicious gang rapes. Those cute, looking mallards aren't always so cute in their behaviour.
Thanks for that, very interesting!
Regarding the gang rapes, I have certainly seen some pretty vicious attempts in my time!
"Ducks, for one, are outliers within the avian population. Unlike 97 percent of birds, ducks have penises — super-long ones. They are among the best endowed (in terms of ratio of body to member) of all vertebrates. For example, the 1-pound, foot-long Argentinian lake duck has the longest of all with a member that is 4 inches longer than its body.
Duck penises regrow every mating season. Once the season ends, the penis begins to shrink and regress until it’s 10 percent of its full-grown size. They are stored inside the duck’s body, waiting to emerge only during copulation. “The process generally resembles a cross between using your arm to evert a sweater sleeve that is inside out and unfurling the soft, motorized roof of a convertible sports car with a hydraulic drive,” writes Prum.
And it only gets weirder.
The duck penis is not straight, but spirals counterclockwise (!) from its base to its tip. The Muscovy duck penis completes six to 10 full twists over its 20-centimeter (7.8-inch) length.
“Like a selection of sex toys from a vending machine in a strange alien bar,” writes Prum, “duck penises come in ribbed, ridged and even toothy varieties” to hook into a female’s reproductive tract, which is as long and convoluted as the penis.
Female reproductive tracts are full of twists and turns or, as Prum puts it, “dead-end side pockets or cul-de-sacs,” and some spiral clockwise in the “opposite direction of the counter-clockwise spiraling duck penis.”
I saw this today. No idea what it is but 100% sure that it's not a standard mallard.
Got a few pictures but this is the best one.
I'm guessing it's a hybrid as I've never seen anything quite like it. The white markings look a bit like a female Ringed Teal, though they normally have have a white mark over the eye as well.
Spent ages on the net, and used an identifier, and it is a Wood Duck! This is (I am pretty sure!) an eclipse male!
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I am desperate for this to launch so I can get one:
https://mybirdbuddy.com/
It basically uses recognition technology to tell you every single bird that has landed on your bird table, as well as take photos of them etc. Looks amazing.
Yellow Barred Longhorn, male. Just look at the antennae on that.
Got a few pictures but this is the best one.
My sister did actually see a ladder snake in her garden a week or two ago, but as she lives in Spain it's not uncommon, apparently.
I thought I didn't recognise it. Not a venomous snake, it lives on rats and mice so perhaps you should have kept it there
There is a pair of adults that is one part greylag and one part canada goose in Chislehurst, so it must be their offspring! They make such a great couple too, the greylag is always giving it Billy big bananas hissing at everyone, with the Canada goose just swimming behind it.
I really am determined to find out exactly what that is. Might go on some sort of bird watchers forum, but I fear that is the start of a slippery slope....
*Not always fun for the females though who can be the victims of vicious gang rapes. Those cute, looking mallards aren't always so cute in their behaviour.
Regarding the gang rapes, I have certainly seen some pretty vicious attempts in my time!
There's some fascinating reading about it here: https://nypost.com/2017/05/06/dont-be-fooled-ducks-are-sadistic-raping-monsters/
Here's a selection:
"Ducks, for one, are outliers within the avian population. Unlike 97 percent of birds, ducks have penises — super-long ones. They are among the best endowed (in terms of ratio of body to member) of all vertebrates. For example, the 1-pound, foot-long Argentinian lake duck has the longest of all with a member that is 4 inches longer than its body.
Duck penises regrow every mating season. Once the season ends, the penis begins to shrink and regress until it’s 10 percent of its full-grown size. They are stored inside the duck’s body, waiting to emerge only during copulation. “The process generally resembles a cross between using your arm to evert a sweater sleeve that is inside out and unfurling the soft, motorized roof of a convertible sports car with a hydraulic drive,” writes Prum.
And it only gets weirder.
The duck penis is not straight, but spirals counterclockwise (!) from its base to its tip. The Muscovy duck penis completes six to 10 full twists over its 20-centimeter (7.8-inch) length.
“Like a selection of sex toys from a vending machine in a strange alien bar,” writes Prum, “duck penises come in ribbed, ridged and even toothy varieties” to hook into a female’s reproductive tract, which is as long and convoluted as the penis.
Female reproductive tracts are full of twists and turns or, as Prum puts it, “dead-end side pockets or cul-de-sacs,” and some spiral clockwise in the “opposite direction of the counter-clockwise spiraling duck penis.”