tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45388546881818500952024-03-13T06:40:56.226+00:00Stand and Staregood things come to those who waitNyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-693777352580206692012-02-23T23:55:00.000+00:002012-02-23T23:55:21.231+00:00As I was saying...My, how time flies when you are not having fun. Now...where was I? <br />
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Oh yes - rhynchokinesis - otherwise known as handy-bendy-beak syndrome. I have touched on this interesting curiosity before but what brought it back to mind was a couple of black tailed godwits feeding in the flooded fields on Holy Island the other day. The effect was not at all visible when watching the birds but a millisecond caught in a megapixel just happened to give a hint of it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6X7JgeWOwBhyphenhyphenUOBvzbhCAO_Nmt1HHSGtQujrtJ1T_EU1ZfpAmT56616pNokWPkazxkLeCMR3xWwxoPwC4vymv8-cNUz1onuQwxuNNFca-PBa4C7HnBZNiGFJFTAG33SqQ-P1IhYuMoBo/s1600/btg+-+rhynchokinesis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291px" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6X7JgeWOwBhyphenhyphenUOBvzbhCAO_Nmt1HHSGtQujrtJ1T_EU1ZfpAmT56616pNokWPkazxkLeCMR3xWwxoPwC4vymv8-cNUz1onuQwxuNNFca-PBa4C7HnBZNiGFJFTAG33SqQ-P1IhYuMoBo/s400/btg+-+rhynchokinesis.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
I came across a much better picture than mine <a href="http://www.sunbittern.com/gallery-rhynchokinesis.html">here</a>. (Steve Gale at <a href="http://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/02/this-post-is-nothing-but-round-up-of.html">North Downs and Beyond</a> talks about blog envy - I know the feeling). <br />
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Many people assume that all birds beaks are solid, hard structures. Far from it - particularly in the longer billed waders like the godwits, curlew and snipe. Next time you find a dead one of these, I recommend that you explore this. If it's a bit stinky by the time you come across it, this will be when you realise that all that time spent carrying a pair of surgical gloves in your pocket was not wasted. The bill tip is not only softish and flexible but well supplied with sensory bits and pieces. (For more on this - see my earlier post <a href="http://standandstare-nyctalus.blogspot.com/2009/10/bent-billed-curlew.html">here</a>)<br />
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The New Naturalist book 'Waders' explains that the upper mandible can be raised or lowered independently of the rest of the bill. Thus you can have the tips only apart or the tips together with an open gap in the centre. Certainly, having a 'hinge' towards the tip of a long bill must give much better dexterity when picking up small prey items. <br />
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If you don't already carry a pair of surgical gloves at all times, rush out and get some.Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-20737768929017909722011-09-19T00:41:00.001+01:002011-09-19T00:52:36.878+01:00Seeing RedWobbling my way along a quiet lane near Wooler in North Northumberland yesterday, I was gently bonked on the head.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1359noKFaL1FCzV3cKoqY2HtJrVfw7tM3YbwCad0A0foJ4yne2eJ6wiKaEAU39yPiqbn4MzWOL3hdn7m7xVoUMFyo3Ol1Uosa9-XQco1_aBu87HXyQWdccMo9vbyIMUzJMqULlWr0zHE/s1600/beech+nut+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1359noKFaL1FCzV3cKoqY2HtJrVfw7tM3YbwCad0A0foJ4yne2eJ6wiKaEAU39yPiqbn4MzWOL3hdn7m7xVoUMFyo3Ol1Uosa9-XQco1_aBu87HXyQWdccMo9vbyIMUzJMqULlWr0zHE/s400/beech+nut+1.JPG" width="296px" /></a></div>Working on the principle that unripe nuts don't just drop off trees on still days I stopped the bike and looked up. Nothing. Silence. But I knew it was there somewhere so I parked up the bike and stood and stared. Five minutes passed. Nothing. However, when it comes to capacity to stand and stare I'm right up there with the best. The little blighter cracked first and showed itself but not until after fully 10 minutes of stand off.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT22hWqh-LOB8y9U8JLj6Dhz9h7OhH9t2gAxMPLH2IHfP-Tgl2kG_oalxDsSUPnHaeWoNvAuB_Juh-wcYVKuwOvQaBg96t-xu0VcTqf2l8BipiWl_Ppur2OdQNvUMJJyTh_7ULUQMuyE/s1600/red+squirrel+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT22hWqh-LOB8y9U8JLj6Dhz9h7OhH9t2gAxMPLH2IHfP-Tgl2kG_oalxDsSUPnHaeWoNvAuB_Juh-wcYVKuwOvQaBg96t-xu0VcTqf2l8BipiWl_Ppur2OdQNvUMJJyTh_7ULUQMuyE/s400/red+squirrel+1.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div>It moved across a branch and looked down at me making a quiet alarm call. At each call its whole body jerked as if to force the air out of its lungs. I've seen this before but done with more vigour, accompanied by a little jump followed by all four feet banging on the branch simultaneously, making an audible knocking sound but this one made do with a shudder and a squeak.<br />
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We are very fortunate in Northumberland to still have the red squirrel though the inexorable northward march of the grey keeps it under threat. Where I work in Co Durham to the south, the reds have long gone. Greys are commonplace so I know that if this had been a grey I would not have had to wait 10 minutes before it made itself known.<br />
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Many people hate grey squirrels but actually they are fascinating to watch and wonderfully inventive. I take my squirrel fur hat off to them. I have a bird feeder outside my first floor window at work and greys regularly appear on the external window sill looking in at me. They just shin up the brick wall and chew the feeders to bits. If I disturb them they just jump off, land on the grass and lollop off waving metaphorical double digits. As a survival machine they've got what it takes. But I'm sorry, American readers, reds have cute factor 10, and being our native squirrel, yours has no chance in the popularity stakes round here.<br />
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Sometimes I have thought that the fate of the red squirrel is sealed, that we might as well stop trying to kid ourselves otherwise and give up trying to protect them against the tide of greys. However, you only have to see one like this to realise that the effort is well worth while. Even if it is only postponing the inevitable, let's stick with it as every encounter with this marvellous animal is a priceless bonus.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6rSsQ8jg9BVisLSuT4KlYFGrG-Zv-_cMfHEGewyNZO50Hm8KW6NbkK_viamO26QoCwM9HLZVl2WyBrk51ROc1MKbiAfiwgdaywwIw1XreX6i0NYwCK8-2-SmOMmeuD0dMhaR5SFhsEg/s1600/red+squirrel+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6rSsQ8jg9BVisLSuT4KlYFGrG-Zv-_cMfHEGewyNZO50Hm8KW6NbkK_viamO26QoCwM9HLZVl2WyBrk51ROc1MKbiAfiwgdaywwIw1XreX6i0NYwCK8-2-SmOMmeuD0dMhaR5SFhsEg/s400/red+squirrel+2.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-55268116653211714862011-09-15T23:37:00.000+01:002011-09-15T23:37:44.287+01:00Come in No 62, your time is up..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7eX2NN8wxPf3v15rm3iujE-NDSGgXz9BezAUF0sRrR5PdMcZCUMEWnYXO9zR4L24J23eeL4qmVprvr2JiwHKBCx0L-97JUscWJ9-eYHVmU6FziTGNBptdfzXZHaLefDIR_9NFCOf-N4/s1600/ring+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7eX2NN8wxPf3v15rm3iujE-NDSGgXz9BezAUF0sRrR5PdMcZCUMEWnYXO9zR4L24J23eeL4qmVprvr2JiwHKBCx0L-97JUscWJ9-eYHVmU6FziTGNBptdfzXZHaLefDIR_9NFCOf-N4/s320/ring+1.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://standandstare-nyctalus.blogspot.com/2011/07/rings-bell.html">A few posts ago</a> I promised to bore you with my bird ring big fish story once I found the photos. So here we go.<br />
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My most impressive ever bird ring find was in the mid 1980s. Wandering along a Hebridean beach, I saw the tip of a brown feather sticking out of a bank of seaweed. It looked at first like a juvenile gull but, as ever, I went to dig it out and check what it was. A major expletive ensued when I pulled on it and out from the seaweed appeared an immense hooky beak and a huge taloned foot.<br />
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There had been just the two of us on the whole beach so I nearly jumped out of my skin when a deep voice from nowhere growled, 'What have you got there? I looked up to see a huge dodgy-looking bloke with a spade held against his shoulder like a rifle. Now this was at a time when there was a battle going on between farmers and conservationists about eagles and their impact on sheep farming. There were strong suspicions that eagles were being systematically poisoned or shot on certain estates. So, my brain worked it out faster than the blink of an eagle's eye. Having shot the bird, buried it in the seaweed and been rumbled, he was now planning to bludgeon me to death with the spade and bury me in the seaweed too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-MGON3KEbxK-9S0JGp7q5YqKbi3bF0jLctAU9bQ5tI82ne1Qjq-uxsxRooRRt-v_OkJQoqbANgRjbcBoskTPULTEoov2xUaAzFEm_snK2olGvIhIohYV3jsIFJOL-cxRuNcmysIP1LI/s1600/eagle+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-MGON3KEbxK-9S0JGp7q5YqKbi3bF0jLctAU9bQ5tI82ne1Qjq-uxsxRooRRt-v_OkJQoqbANgRjbcBoskTPULTEoov2xUaAzFEm_snK2olGvIhIohYV3jsIFJOL-cxRuNcmysIP1LI/s400/eagle+1.jpg" width="266px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The remnants of no.62</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I survived, but I had a feeling that the evidence wouldn't if I left it there. But what exactly does one do with a rank eagle in the middle of nowhere. The best I could manage was to retrieve the skull and, as I couldn't get the ring off the leg, I got the leg off the bird. Lunch was turfed out of its carrier bag and in went the stinking bits of eagle. <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">At this point I wasn't sure what it was. Golden eagles were well established on the island but the re-introduction of the white tailed sea eagle on Rhum had been going well and birds were beginning to spread. One thing I did know for sure was that the skull was absolutely enormous. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYEmSmqFgL_WMzNMJlDXt2XVcR_-4AExdZA0jlQP4bHpDGUxQMO7Yz3W0FFRCLE8Zkf37x_G-62NcEERBtQYXbAs_HpoVTCkMslXcJum1u8NJWEoEzApfcBt_lwq13G0yHx4QJ844Rns/s1600/eagle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYEmSmqFgL_WMzNMJlDXt2XVcR_-4AExdZA0jlQP4bHpDGUxQMO7Yz3W0FFRCLE8Zkf37x_G-62NcEERBtQYXbAs_HpoVTCkMslXcJum1u8NJWEoEzApfcBt_lwq13G0yHx4QJ844Rns/s320/eagle+2.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Once home I was able to confirm from the skull measurements that I had indeed found a white tailed sea eagle. I reported the find to the BTO ringing scheme and got in touch with RSPB Scotland and the sea eagle re-introduction programme people. They were keen to send the skull off for any brain remnants to be tested for poisons or pesticides. Someone from the RSPB went out, found the rest of the carcase from my description of the location and had that tested too. The results were inconclusive for evidence of deliberate poisoning and it was impossible to tell if the bird had been shot. One worrying outcome though was that high levels of the pesticide residue <a href="http://cemmed.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/ddt-dde-ddd-dda-organochlorine-pesticide/">DDE</a> (a breakdown product of DDT) and also <a href="http://www.greenfacts.org/en/pcbs/index.htm">PCBs</a> were found in the brain tissue, presumably acquired through the marine food chain and probably contributing to loss of condition and the death of the bird.<br />
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This was all the more concerning when the ringing details came through. The bird I found was less than a year old, one of two young ringed at a wild nest the year before. The demise of this bird was a sad blow to the re-introduction programme at that point as breeding was only beginning to get established beyond the Rhum release area.<br />
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25 years on, it's good to know that the re-introduction programme has worked in spite of the early loss of No. 62. Without it I would not have been able to enjoy the magnificent sight a couple of years ago of a sea eagle bothering a golden eagle that had just been bothering a raven.<br />
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(<em>Apologies for the poor picture quality. These are scans of prints that weren't sharp in the first place!)</em></div></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-17052859676666047382011-09-11T21:45:00.006+01:002011-09-11T23:23:24.823+01:00Sorting out one's Eristalis bulgeThere is something special, I find, about watching a hoverfly in suspended animation right in front of your nose, especially if you can get the sun on it but highlighted against a darker background. They stay so perfectly positioned with just a glinting blur of wings.<br />
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Last weekend I spent a happy half hour fiddling about trying to catch this in a photograph. I've had a draft post hanging round for a while, incomplete, and just as I was about to finish it off, in pops a post from Blackbird's splendid <a href="http://abugblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-hoverfly-identification.html">Bugblog</a> with a photo exactly the same as the ones I was trying to get only different. The difference being that hers is nice and sharp and top quality ....and mine isn't. Maybe if I keep it small you might not notice.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPMagTwbyqO6VviosSg3eg5vcwk1J1wWIi8VmR4iNJVfeZD1e0d8WXpFP2hv9LhLSjX7i5fM4vB5eotdKAzzyUMI_d0VT3hhyMCc6a77rZ9DivsU5SeBY9EL_4GEuhsep_pxAGpvVjrk/s1600/hoverfly+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPMagTwbyqO6VviosSg3eg5vcwk1J1wWIi8VmR4iNJVfeZD1e0d8WXpFP2hv9LhLSjX7i5fM4vB5eotdKAzzyUMI_d0VT3hhyMCc6a77rZ9DivsU5SeBY9EL_4GEuhsep_pxAGpvVjrk/s400/hoverfly+2.JPG" width="400px" xaa="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a little easier to focus once they settle.....</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId62AsozymoXFlQTkKL2Tu2fDq49F18D7rFpIAGJtfDSsiIp-fzKauXVodX5xth8Uel2SDqi-GMZE2WHKyCepc-ydxh_dRflW_cPthpDgxGXPfdS9y1XsdXnLjFUQKA4LcVtPrku4edw/s1600/hoverfly+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId62AsozymoXFlQTkKL2Tu2fDq49F18D7rFpIAGJtfDSsiIp-fzKauXVodX5xth8Uel2SDqi-GMZE2WHKyCepc-ydxh_dRflW_cPthpDgxGXPfdS9y1XsdXnLjFUQKA4LcVtPrku4edw/s400/hoverfly+4.JPG" width="400px" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
and this one was easier still. It's a wrap.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc09aHm-gbbOYOP5pUzAMo2_fuKIsrwIddSHJgvk8LJ7ODyvUSk-G8pK4FCjXee1wgqtzogNyBltQl7KtsQd5er2IVR2l21OeyLADjQA2VCr3o8-zSv5CODVB3kHVa7IngEQUb6mLO6yw/s1600/hoverfly+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc09aHm-gbbOYOP5pUzAMo2_fuKIsrwIddSHJgvk8LJ7ODyvUSk-G8pK4FCjXee1wgqtzogNyBltQl7KtsQd5er2IVR2l21OeyLADjQA2VCr3o8-zSv5CODVB3kHVa7IngEQUb6mLO6yw/s400/hoverfly+3.JPG" width="400px" xaa="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>(If anyone would care to put a name to these for me that would be jolly decent.)<br />
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The bee mimicking hoverfly below looks odd in that it seems to have only one eye - you can't see the clear line of division normally visible between the two. That's because I caught it in the middle of cleaning its eyes and it has rotated its head through a full 90 degrees. They are fascinating to watch as they clean their lenses using the front pair of legs like windscreen wipers to scrape over the eye surfaces and scoop off the dust etc.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBGVyJTNnh0YAocCOVyaerehUcWeS0qLh0VTHOB04_HO3Jjh50FM0tSA2KAS3pyOD3SmHG0RsNXwQb1mCghzOVDF-rXVE4xwOe4rTMiWAIpH25NZdKCF4bUAf5W-aWT3Rsoml5m6WUEw/s1600/hoverfly+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBGVyJTNnh0YAocCOVyaerehUcWeS0qLh0VTHOB04_HO3Jjh50FM0tSA2KAS3pyOD3SmHG0RsNXwQb1mCghzOVDF-rXVE4xwOe4rTMiWAIpH25NZdKCF4bUAf5W-aWT3Rsoml5m6WUEw/s400/hoverfly+6.JPG" width="292px" xaa="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
In terms of identifying this one, I made use of Stuart's helpful 'Eristalis bulge' tip - see his <a href="http://donegal-wildlife.blogspot.com/2011/04/early-year.html">Donegal Wildlife blog</a> - where he does a nice piece on hoverfly i/d for numpties (thanks Stuart). This hoverfly had the tell tale loop in the wing vein which identifies it readily as one of the Eristalis group.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVMDy4tLzZ67LXtLqFMATaSGr4uWLR0yrkDIKXUu11hNs0dICOEIR2HRVzcqHHya0fWvvnibgzeC1cgFeFc7OmzaKK5abUwJ0I0-xtMQ9EqJQK3SynxoEZKiIrPyQyRT072WCCEHOWy4/s1600/hoverfly+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVMDy4tLzZ67LXtLqFMATaSGr4uWLR0yrkDIKXUu11hNs0dICOEIR2HRVzcqHHya0fWvvnibgzeC1cgFeFc7OmzaKK5abUwJ0I0-xtMQ9EqJQK3SynxoEZKiIrPyQyRT072WCCEHOWy4/s400/hoverfly+7.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId62AsozymoXFlQTkKL2Tu2fDq49F18D7rFpIAGJtfDSsiIp-fzKauXVodX5xth8Uel2SDqi-GMZE2WHKyCepc-ydxh_dRflW_cPthpDgxGXPfdS9y1XsdXnLjFUQKA4LcVtPrku4edw/s1600/hoverfly+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId62AsozymoXFlQTkKL2Tu2fDq49F18D7rFpIAGJtfDSsiIp-fzKauXVodX5xth8Uel2SDqi-GMZE2WHKyCepc-ydxh_dRflW_cPthpDgxGXPfdS9y1XsdXnLjFUQKA4LcVtPrku4edw/s400/hoverfly+4.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 317px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 655px; visibility: hidden;" width="96px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And talking of hovering, I think it's time for my mouse to hover over the amazon web site and find that book on Syrphidae identification.<br />
<br />
<em>( PS: For more super-duper superior flight shots - check out Phil's post </em><a href="http://cabinetofcuriosities-greenfingers.blogspot.com/2011/08/hoverfly.html"><em>here</em></a><em>.)</em></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-75452313040120218582011-09-01T23:25:00.015+01:002011-09-01T23:34:11.389+01:00Second to Noon<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some while ago I bemoaned the lack of information to be had about one of my favourites flies – <em>Mesembrina meridiana</em> aka the Noon Fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This bonny matt black insect with unreal gold angular decorations on its head and a tasteful hint of gold on the wings bothered me because I could establish so little about its lifestyle other than it laid eggs in cow pats.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (See my earlier post </span><a href="http://standandstare-nyctalus.blogspot.com/search/label/noon%20fly"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></a>)</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu3fxyrGW51fRoq6iQI0qhNemhUFuVAmlg1O9DvWC-0XdDN8exkFFPTFYDXTB9RmElyN8ZpBbpg6IIqhVzKVRqTznLmygcCuJxXq5IftytgXHHLKbqzGNIy7mgWvjOKogz7__-RWFcVY/s1600/noon+fly+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu3fxyrGW51fRoq6iQI0qhNemhUFuVAmlg1O9DvWC-0XdDN8exkFFPTFYDXTB9RmElyN8ZpBbpg6IIqhVzKVRqTznLmygcCuJxXq5IftytgXHHLKbqzGNIy7mgWvjOKogz7__-RWFcVY/s400/noon+fly+2.JPG" width="400px" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Phil Gates pointed me towards a book – though I thought he was having me on when he said it was called ‘Insects of the British Cow Dung Community’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, I know plenty of people who talk a load of cow manure but who in their right mind would write a book on it let alone give it such an evocative title. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, one fine chap and largely unsung hero called Dr Peter Skidmore of course – published by the Field Studies Council.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A hunt for the book proved fruitless as it was long out of print.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forgot about it until Mel Lloyd posted on cow pats a while ago on her </span><a href="http://sandywildlife.blogspot.com/2011/07/unsung-beauty-of-dung.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sandy Wildlife blog</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To cut a long story short I now have my hands on a copy after handing over a deposit (sorry) to the library loans people. What a gem it is and I suspect, between this blog and Mel's you haven't heard the last of it by a long chalk.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So.....I now know that the little female noon fly lays no more than 5 eggs in her whole short life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are laid one at a time, two days apart in soft fresh dung.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trouble is that within two days any one cow dollop will have crusted over, so she is a one-egg-per-pat kind of girl. It follows that if you were to find a lot of eggs in one pat they must each have been laid by a different fly. Elementary my dear Watson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(He never said that).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Within an hour in the nice warm steamy slop, the egg has hatched .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the third instar stage, the larva turns carnivorous and munches its way through large numbers of maggots of the face fly (<em>Musca autumnalis</em>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This fly is responsible for spreading various unpleasant diseases in cattle so you see, this delightful dipteran is actually the farmer’s friend.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another Skidmore gem is that the noon fly maggot is the largest you will find in your average British cow pat and, he says, is popular for that reason with both anglers and rooks. (Though somehow I can’t imagine many anglers fingering their way through fresh dung to look for noon fly maggots). He omitted to mention choughs, which make a very decent living by sticking their noses into cowpats rooting out goodies, no doubt including noon fly maggots, as I observed first hand on Colonsay. earlier this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSyjhX4Y2-6odPGbyfsctSq9q7YXOPbrsV05xgcKaXx83Ux3lrr895e4JEYDLG_BoWu-sC-wZdMPkUgXcx1Vbq1qj62W-HCDfcgP1Byye0Sb2IJBzquVgtcSPsohsmMNNydQHOqyQXUA/s1600/chough+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSyjhX4Y2-6odPGbyfsctSq9q7YXOPbrsV05xgcKaXx83Ux3lrr895e4JEYDLG_BoWu-sC-wZdMPkUgXcx1Vbq1qj62W-HCDfcgP1Byye0Sb2IJBzquVgtcSPsohsmMNNydQHOqyQXUA/s400/chough+1.JPG" width="400px" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Distant) chough poking in a cow pat</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSVbHmztF_KW_iMzqawFYiGVaNSrUmFMPMaGayJcx1uv66YDmkrZOpizgsP-rzfaq42w1EJ5asq0AlwjegGGGNPykjLlAZ1holEkbtgf0TpyBLn2ogggtar1xF1MJKhkzbIqEfo7_7cA/s1600/chough+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSVbHmztF_KW_iMzqawFYiGVaNSrUmFMPMaGayJcx1uv66YDmkrZOpizgsP-rzfaq42w1EJ5asq0AlwjegGGGNPykjLlAZ1holEkbtgf0TpyBLn2ogggtar1xF1MJKhkzbIqEfo7_7cA/s400/chough+2.JPG" width="400px" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chough looking for a cow pat</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, a toast to Peter Skidmore, sadly no longer with us, for his splendid legacy and a plea to someone to reprint his book asap.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For posts from other noon fly fans try:-</span><br />
<a href="http://thelivingisle.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-fruits.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Living Isle</span></a><br />
<a href="http://martinsmoths.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-spy-my-little-fly.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Martin's moths</span></a>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-50778826246536976202011-08-08T00:21:00.007+01:002011-08-27T23:54:33.268+01:00On the Technical Use of Gastropods (or how to stop a squeaky wheel)<div style="text-align: left;">I stood on a slug on Friday. Arion to carrion. You see, they closed the car park near my office so I now have to park right up the top of the hill. This means that I start my day with a ten minute scenic detour along the track at the woodland edge. (Every cloud has a silver lining). So it was this morning that I disturbed a roe deer and as it stepped out onto the track right in front of me, I stomped to an emergency stop and experienced that unmistakable oozy sensation of shoe upon very large slug. (Every silver lining has a cloud.). </div><br />
I'll save you the gore of the squashed one - the <em>Arion ater</em> that I stood on looked like this before the close encounter with Doc Martin.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJzpzBaL_XGcstAigqL3IDXIc3W3quPVZfPxyeQGMzV4fZNTQ8ZT3RfpxHRKsVElKjQfwG8aJqSRjX7cDMtjXmCW2JcCw_DrDK9XoWIKEgzZ_8AllsNyRMp4avDlCBO4qUwQrXIK0mMQ/s1600/arion+ater+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJzpzBaL_XGcstAigqL3IDXIc3W3quPVZfPxyeQGMzV4fZNTQ8ZT3RfpxHRKsVElKjQfwG8aJqSRjX7cDMtjXmCW2JcCw_DrDK9XoWIKEgzZ_8AllsNyRMp4avDlCBO4qUwQrXIK0mMQ/s400/arion+ater+1.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Arion ater</em>, Mountjoy, Durham</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now here's a thing. In rural Sweden, in days of yore, their 4-wheeled carts had hard wood tree trunk axles, and used to squeak like hell and drive everyone crackers. In no time some bright Swede realised that a couple of those big Arion slugs were just the job - simply squash them in the gap and hey-presto, silence. You can almost hear the sighs of relief and the lowering of shoulders as the hapless molluscs do for the cart wheels what WD40 just did for my door hinge. <br />
<br />
Furthermore, immigrant German glass blowers in Sweden's southern parts collected Arions to smear on their frying pans when cooking pancakes, and in Essex, kids collected them along the railway lines to sell to the rail workers to lube their wheels (just the job when badger lard is in short supply).<br />
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If you think I'm making this up, read the whole paper, gloriously entitled, <em>'Black Slugs (Arion ater) as Grease: A Case Study of Technical Use of Gastropods in Pre-Industrial Sweden'</em>, <a href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/43742292/BLACK-SLUGS-(Arionater)-AS-GREASE-A-CASE-STUDY-OF">here</a>. Nice one Ingvar. <br />
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The colour variation in Arion is interesting. There is a north-south divide. In Northumberland, I've only ever seen the jet black version. They are black in Sweden too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjBHt1vtE0U7o9OXqKXfDEL11ymE-_DfacTmWCfjTy3LVPONphxYW_xngV_z0CBlK1uzoFf2fkDVAMNOmdsh00nu-QgnfrC3XjMi8l3w6RJpqh-jf-uJtqspkcbJY0Vw1IdiIIM2sYVg/s1600/arion+ater+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjBHt1vtE0U7o9OXqKXfDEL11ymE-_DfacTmWCfjTy3LVPONphxYW_xngV_z0CBlK1uzoFf2fkDVAMNOmdsh00nu-QgnfrC3XjMi8l3w6RJpqh-jf-uJtqspkcbJY0Vw1IdiIIM2sYVg/s400/arion+ater+4.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Arion ater</em>, Chillingham, Northumberland</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border: currentColor;">In the south of England I read that most are red/orange/white ie anything but jet black. (Can my southern English readers confirm this?). In Durham, there seems to be a bag of all-sorts as if we are on the overlap.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_YN0eoXL7ZI_x-Lzq5ByT7Drg5d26Wc3SE0RQU8UpdJsCN1wVU7sxMvUwTSK3_dv4UgWgMuczBHGN1hzzeMHa_nFQiWBIpg7fL7PLx0wr4njmJrV2N4bhptYBBtqFSIOmXBzOoGBPPs/s1600/arion+ater+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_YN0eoXL7ZI_x-Lzq5ByT7Drg5d26Wc3SE0RQU8UpdJsCN1wVU7sxMvUwTSK3_dv4UgWgMuczBHGN1hzzeMHa_nFQiWBIpg7fL7PLx0wr4njmJrV2N4bhptYBBtqFSIOmXBzOoGBPPs/s400/arion+ater+2.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brown ones of varying shades of light and dark.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDaJl0AvSbGYJX-LNJpnf_wKw_Xsii_1EaQB-RFGJDCeGBqDfOX6fwRdHiFYTGbLs9Cm6oyvRCJ4Ue5rV1P4QyGs0qhJzVC5qatBnW_0JaCa5XOjtB50WKtVYSnch-BpD9Dy_JK_abUM/s1600/arion+ater+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDaJl0AvSbGYJX-LNJpnf_wKw_Xsii_1EaQB-RFGJDCeGBqDfOX6fwRdHiFYTGbLs9Cm6oyvRCJ4Ue5rV1P4QyGs0qhJzVC5qatBnW_0JaCa5XOjtB50WKtVYSnch-BpD9Dy_JK_abUM/s400/arion+ater+3.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Black ones with a snazzy orange and black skirt.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I had some interesting discussion with Phil Gates about this on his blog a while back. Worth a look (<a href="http://cabinetofcuriosities-greenfingers.blogspot.com/search/label/Arion%20ater">here</a>) if you missed it, if only for Phil's magnificent close up pictures which, as per, knock the spots off mine.<br />
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<em>(Postscript - 27-08-11: Have a look at Blackbird's excellent blog for an interesting post on species and colour variations. The link is </em><a href="http://abugblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/impressive-slug.html"><em>here</em></a><em>. Looks like I will have to edit my post to read Arion sp. !)</em>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-59844028983030533082011-07-20T17:30:00.001+01:002011-07-20T17:30:01.262+01:00This Shag Incapacitated<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KFX6cu7HHnJEBlla956i_6G-AY_xfEp9Ksx2aHf84bubig88knqcguwIK9wDWxUAbtMrPKOrT87s9OL1UOdjvEIPkBO0bGnkehztRNqp6-8SVUCoHS75G0F5V-nJVmS8ikz83oA7z7c/s1600/shag+ringed+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KFX6cu7HHnJEBlla956i_6G-AY_xfEp9Ksx2aHf84bubig88knqcguwIK9wDWxUAbtMrPKOrT87s9OL1UOdjvEIPkBO0bGnkehztRNqp6-8SVUCoHS75G0F5V-nJVmS8ikz83oA7z7c/s320/shag+ringed+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">900,000 birds are ringed every year in the UK. That's pretty impressive considering this is nearly all done by amateurs. Now, I'm always on the lookout for dead stuff and assiduously check every leg I find, yet it is a rare enough event to trigger a surge of excitement whenever I find one that's ringed. So this dead shag was a welcome find on the Bamburgh shoreline in Northumberland. (Sorry if you are reading this while eating your tea.)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqXfqRwTEy777ocvqC5QLGBDK-EGJTDkg5T2NGFOgep8Gg4ozXgH0HzVaHBTv-7y2oaqCpxCtcF04K_-Sz5f79jc6zHl0c_nWFrdg9OD_lApxFCS0kzfjNaP4QEw2nxNXDdo3ihRlRKo/s1600/shag+ringed+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqXfqRwTEy777ocvqC5QLGBDK-EGJTDkg5T2NGFOgep8Gg4ozXgH0HzVaHBTv-7y2oaqCpxCtcF04K_-Sz5f79jc6zHl0c_nWFrdg9OD_lApxFCS0kzfjNaP4QEw2nxNXDdo3ihRlRKo/s400/shag+ringed+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As well as the usual numbered metal ring this bird also had the large blue ring above, intended to be readable from a distance while the bird is still alive.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJakkUrq7LBMq61bkEXGY5IlVR9g05uwnzeZwAYQmN3Bjqil3meL92rGPTK7UTgwDco9EotOHexRmpN5G3b8Eepl_InketDMk6BCrTXzaMvIg_1xup3MT4dq9SdxK3lfhrTCPWYAqOwxI/s1600/shag+ringed+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJakkUrq7LBMq61bkEXGY5IlVR9g05uwnzeZwAYQmN3Bjqil3meL92rGPTK7UTgwDco9EotOHexRmpN5G3b8Eepl_InketDMk6BCrTXzaMvIg_1xup3MT4dq9SdxK3lfhrTCPWYAqOwxI/s320/shag+ringed+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A few weeks after reporting the find (online <a href="http://blx1.bto.org/euring/lang/pages/rings.jsp?country=EN">here</a>) I received an email to tell me that my shag had been ringed at the Isle of May Bird Observatory in the Firth of Forth last June as a nestling. Sadly, this one didn't see its first birthday, well short of the record age of a recovered shag of 29 years 10 months 25 days. The British Trust for Ornithology records seem to show regular movement in both directions between the Isle of May and the Northumberland coast. (see <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=640x640&maptype=terrain&markers=color:blue|label:R|55.617,-1.633&markers=color:green|label:1|56.183,-2.567&path=color:0xff000055|weight:3|55.617,-1.633|56.183,-2.567&visible=58,-2|50,-4&sensor=false">map</a>)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
According to the BTO, the ring recovery rate is less than 2% so its hardly surprising that you find so few of them. I suppose this means that ringing is a pretty inefficient way to study how birds move about, how long they live etc. Up to now its been the only practical way but I do wonder if the days of mass ringing might be numbered as technology gets smaller and cheaper. Just look at the recent <a href="http://www.bto.org/science/migration/tracking-studies/cuckoo-tracking">cuckoo studies</a> - more information discovered in a week or two than in decades of ringing.<br />
<br />
So, this shag on a rock was a nice find but my most impressive ring - and I'm still dining out on this one- was 25 years ago on the Isle of Skye. I'll bore you with the story as soon as I find my old 35mm slides. Don't hold you breath though - it could take some time.</div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-22199714132806560282011-07-19T08:28:00.001+01:002011-07-19T11:43:34.057+01:00Blown away (again)Every year stuff comes round and stuff moves on. Another year, another swallow. Marvellous though all of the seasonal comings and goings are, I guess we all have those handful of special things that manage to gobsmack us each and every year even though we've seen it all before. <br />
<br />
I was standing in an overgrown field staring at butterflies but it wasn't the ringlet that did it. It was the momentary reflection of sunlight in the corner of my eye followed by an unmistakable plasticky clatter of wings and then the breathtaking moment when a brand new dragonfly perched on a hazel leaf right in front of me. As I slowly rotated my head to get a proper look without scaring it off, so the female southern hawker slowly rotated its head to and fro and we scrutinised each other. There is no escaping the immense fixed eyes that fold right around the top and sides of the head.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3UXcVz-FZYAw_gcPYKg-55Z66CnRkxkXtBC6vIPmTH3qV7qxzi_DI0L_3IHdbuduYInRJYrUtfuj263dP0ZevY_7QIFJvuwbeFDpHh2-yfQiSWU-Vimfx9FgIv_nrxYfH-LdLFVfP6w/s1600/southern+hawker.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3UXcVz-FZYAw_gcPYKg-55Z66CnRkxkXtBC6vIPmTH3qV7qxzi_DI0L_3IHdbuduYInRJYrUtfuj263dP0ZevY_7QIFJvuwbeFDpHh2-yfQiSWU-Vimfx9FgIv_nrxYfH-LdLFVfP6w/s400/southern+hawker.JPG" width="265px" /></a></div>The big hawkers are truly astonishing insects, right at the top end of my list of living things that impress me anew year after year. I began compiling a top ten in my head of things that never fail to blow me away again with each annual first encounter. The year's first harebell among the marram grass; the sight and sound of massed geese dropping out of the sky in a Lindisfarne dusk after a summer in the arctic; the first full throated blackbird song of the year; the smell of gorse blossom in early summer sun...... I wonder what yours are?<br />
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To see the empty nymph case of a Southern Hawker, <a href="http://standandstare-nyctalus.blogspot.com/2010/06/two-of-groovier-exuvia.html">click here </a>. The mould of the eyes is fascinating.Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-41692726082506573132011-06-05T20:16:00.000+01:002011-06-05T20:16:43.962+01:00A Colonsay Abstract<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXSRFp4V33vww4Ae-Hm1hrkvbSQNjvi6gazmid005S5Y5fiPqULHPJFX8iSWQfIR_NFTlrstdiWZMO7l7hwShsjXRLkmEjt_ivucmj3dCX-Z0K6nHuWZEwRRDG54-yRXVghQ4ZiOTsC0/s1600/razorbill+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXSRFp4V33vww4Ae-Hm1hrkvbSQNjvi6gazmid005S5Y5fiPqULHPJFX8iSWQfIR_NFTlrstdiWZMO7l7hwShsjXRLkmEjt_ivucmj3dCX-Z0K6nHuWZEwRRDG54-yRXVghQ4ZiOTsC0/s400/razorbill+collage.jpg" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was something of a surprise to me to discover the spectacular jagged cliff scenery on the west coast of Colonsay. The many ledges support strong colonies of seabirds and in a few areas it is possible to get very close.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88qQp7bnn7NYR8d1k-uwZHw7Z60NvQlk4zO3C6dF9tlLn9OWtGuV95ERu7bXVVGQapGdyZ6HMYQp6y8vQLkf9r-AO0dQ71vwTEtR6U5Kw5sTrADWeJMi20SR79uTwHgyy4Fm9c2W2MEg/s1600/colonsay+cliff+colonies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88qQp7bnn7NYR8d1k-uwZHw7Z60NvQlk4zO3C6dF9tlLn9OWtGuV95ERu7bXVVGQapGdyZ6HMYQp6y8vQLkf9r-AO0dQ71vwTEtR6U5Kw5sTrADWeJMi20SR79uTwHgyy4Fm9c2W2MEg/s400/colonsay+cliff+colonies.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
Guillemots are always interesting to watch en masse on their breeding cliffs. Quite a few of the birds on these cliffs were ringed and it was possible to read some of them using John's telescope which cranks up to 60x. Passing these records on, it turns out that all the birds had been ringed at this same spot and one dated from 1993. Not bad, but the oldest known ringed guillemot in the UK was <span style="color: black;">31 years 9 months 11 days old when it was found dead in 2004.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Guillemots are fine but there is just something about their close cousins the razorbills which I find more appealing. I think it's the bold black and white plumage together with a more interestingly shaped bill with delicate white lines that gives it the edge in the elegance stakes. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bFUQnoz-tEQ-9EKBwjCz-BgmAIregDWKv6vpBW5IkAiG1U1KHuBl9aNNH0QkBzKFkLwYAZXP1QTVqwYltnMPK8g5b_KTPIyPFP2ikZO3QJExY1m7498BBYqmJidqUAR6xtf2JuTBovA/s1600/razorbill+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bFUQnoz-tEQ-9EKBwjCz-BgmAIregDWKv6vpBW5IkAiG1U1KHuBl9aNNH0QkBzKFkLwYAZXP1QTVqwYltnMPK8g5b_KTPIyPFP2ikZO3QJExY1m7498BBYqmJidqUAR6xtf2JuTBovA/s400/razorbill+3.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
The angle of the light together with the dark nature of the rocks seemed to emphasise their black and white patterns and I rather enjoyed the effects this created if you scrunched your eyes up. Try it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYT2yczmh8YVmEUzOK3aEZjn2EKuwMDxgiNqy_JyPzZwoniUoIb3SZk5xLycHccGePHgpqup9GpYIniCezpo2KJV6szzg-XpIePfro0NutHPrUdJFo0XAGIep0SNBfDDiD4OXu4B6FQ9w/s1600/razorbill+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYT2yczmh8YVmEUzOK3aEZjn2EKuwMDxgiNqy_JyPzZwoniUoIb3SZk5xLycHccGePHgpqup9GpYIniCezpo2KJV6szzg-XpIePfro0NutHPrUdJFo0XAGIep0SNBfDDiD4OXu4B6FQ9w/s400/razorbill+2.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Having had a go and failed miserably to capture this effect in a sketch, I reverted to photographs, and ended up with the abstract collage at the top of the post using black and white shots with all the mid tones removed.</div></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-42862646053301921942011-05-31T23:03:00.001+01:002011-06-04T20:04:27.108+01:00On the tracks of otters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5fN0e2b0iiQAPJX07hBfqBTzDucVgFoNJi7dPESRYWF3bEWojb5SFagRh006K7xE-vETumPgIio_tmW1o_Kgscv9y5cDH5xK2p3eFOwU-C4w5AAYZYt4qOWr6Ruxr6H6eG93UwtuB7A/s1600/colonsay+otter+prints+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5fN0e2b0iiQAPJX07hBfqBTzDucVgFoNJi7dPESRYWF3bEWojb5SFagRh006K7xE-vETumPgIio_tmW1o_Kgscv9y5cDH5xK2p3eFOwU-C4w5AAYZYt4qOWr6Ruxr6H6eG93UwtuB7A/s400/colonsay+otter+prints+3.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These are otter prints. The animal has been bounding along (diagonally left to right in the photo) using the typical bendy movement it shares with its cousins the weasel and the stoat. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf1HcnUunYG3fr9_TEeHHfjrF3Gmj1o08MtCFfsdvKCmv7kYFYNXNu04HW_T-JLVzLTdGuZAMOfOovdvbp8Xrm_iq89nUI1squRwsqhoy6L27f5Ghj-ruHNmnTeLM3EL31m-msW9Jxn0/s1600/colonsay+otter+prints+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf1HcnUunYG3fr9_TEeHHfjrF3Gmj1o08MtCFfsdvKCmv7kYFYNXNu04HW_T-JLVzLTdGuZAMOfOovdvbp8Xrm_iq89nUI1squRwsqhoy6L27f5Ghj-ruHNmnTeLM3EL31m-msW9Jxn0/s400/colonsay+otter+prints+1.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What you see are characteristic clusters of four separate footprints. First, the left and right front paws hit the ground slightly out of sync and one in front of the other. As the otter's momentum carries it forward, the body moves over these two prints until the two back paws plonk down beside marks left by the front feet. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As followers of my previous tracking posts will have guessed by now, I applied my usual techniques of skill and field craft to work this out - which is to say, none whatsoever. I watched the otter bound by and then went up and had a shufty at the tracks. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here is the first bit - front paws hitting the ground, one at the back, the other further forward. The back legs start to move through.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNo9gweyJbQeaEpLncYN78CpHMV623w_tKe7-sZYrs_jCQ8Vjl1ac2IztWHAwrNwWfiU0O5Laum_kCaoc5ENKcgjKP70Z4NI6sQXIYvJ5boGVvBcxrnKc4o4A10srtCC88JqLxWUkIddY/s1600/colonsay+otter+bounding+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNo9gweyJbQeaEpLncYN78CpHMV623w_tKe7-sZYrs_jCQ8Vjl1ac2IztWHAwrNwWfiU0O5Laum_kCaoc5ENKcgjKP70Z4NI6sQXIYvJ5boGVvBcxrnKc4o4A10srtCC88JqLxWUkIddY/s400/colonsay+otter+bounding+1.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Then , kerplonk, down go the back feet right beside the front feet marks but managing not to overlap any of them.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieii1NTp8AP3waZwyUcBPJWpheKHr2Z49MYAcnj92KP8LKeNh3U9Rxlm97Otc_GGV9orsH1adsvp-0_huvuQ_iqn-950VDk-3Aqlh587Eafz0_VYjFMVYs5htH8anRsJG6OnYt4srx0yY/s1600/colonsay+otter+bounding+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieii1NTp8AP3waZwyUcBPJWpheKHr2Z49MYAcnj92KP8LKeNh3U9Rxlm97Otc_GGV9orsH1adsvp-0_huvuQ_iqn-950VDk-3Aqlh587Eafz0_VYjFMVYs5htH8anRsJG6OnYt4srx0yY/s400/colonsay+otter+bounding+2.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
The push off given by the back legs together with its forward momentum, propel the animal quite a way forward such that the next time the front feet hit the ground the animal is far enough away to register a separate and distinct group of four.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw867oqotIEG-54RgRd95APxNK70ngXaylh236AGSjcNbcxS85UA0AQTe2RiVoIgcu6F0_PoVGKVGKMTFI0PXFIFnie4TJW82_XHW1kOz0-odFPzYpNQihYspgN4VWkirFdYPMeo4CUM0/s1600/colonsay+otter+prints+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw867oqotIEG-54RgRd95APxNK70ngXaylh236AGSjcNbcxS85UA0AQTe2RiVoIgcu6F0_PoVGKVGKMTFI0PXFIFnie4TJW82_XHW1kOz0-odFPzYpNQihYspgN4VWkirFdYPMeo4CUM0/s400/colonsay+otter+prints+2.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">With an otter of this size moving at a reasonable pace but not full tilt there is about 9 to 10 inches between the groupings. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The sighting of this otter was just one of those fortuitous things that is bound to come along if you spend enough hours outside in the right places. Apart from a few tracks and signs it had been an otterless week until the last hour of the last day on Colonsay when I decided to wander along the beach to see off the last ten minutes before heading off to the ferry. I looked up in response to a movement and stood riveted as this otter ran along the top of the beach, not 20 yards away. Jammy or what!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAGZK-upgVqRZ38Z8oDMXttGMN9yDOxorsyjGFwdlj0nt8jpnzyvUd_3OuWbnNkqa2ic3WGHk9i-xoexNQ1opJnxyfqhyphenhyphenzI0DgjZ-TocBekpRgeB6Djx9FlveAsYUJdiMpLaJl0VNim8/s1600/colonsay+otter+bounding+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAGZK-upgVqRZ38Z8oDMXttGMN9yDOxorsyjGFwdlj0nt8jpnzyvUd_3OuWbnNkqa2ic3WGHk9i-xoexNQ1opJnxyfqhyphenhyphenzI0DgjZ-TocBekpRgeB6Djx9FlveAsYUJdiMpLaJl0VNim8/s400/colonsay+otter+bounding+3.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-23160423282963732822011-05-30T23:03:00.001+01:002011-06-04T20:05:16.904+01:00A Gastropod Ate My Ship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSMcfmcFmyacu_ltbUxKHfhSrlOz8SRf1qxP3zxNNUYCtHKrtURtJicoLpnn6i1HC_13X_0Z9iaE2sgperk8tggh5tMPSZPVvJ0LIzeFcud4SNad6oZDv3YDs3GKAmn2X24jwEoktvaI/s1600/colonsay+bored+wood.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSMcfmcFmyacu_ltbUxKHfhSrlOz8SRf1qxP3zxNNUYCtHKrtURtJicoLpnn6i1HC_13X_0Z9iaE2sgperk8tggh5tMPSZPVvJ0LIzeFcud4SNad6oZDv3YDs3GKAmn2X24jwEoktvaI/s400/colonsay+bored+wood.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Christopher Columbus got stranded in the Caribbean in 1503 because these things ate his boat. The Great Shipworm is a mollusc, not a worm, but the 'ship' bit is perfectly correct. <br />
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Me and my longtime Hebridean travelling companion, were wandering about on the shores of Colonsay and found these chunks of tree trunk riddled with perfectly machined tunnels about 1 cm in diameter and beautifully lined with a hard chalky material. Much of the linings had eroded away but you can see it in the bottom right hole in the picture below. Also the hole above that seems to have a sort of calcium divider across it - not sure what is going on there.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDmsWrmNUeZjEtlHKdj6rDQeU3tXF0VMTjGEIA0ey2qXtRzoXlnGdt4g0QNW2EvEbxAyjet_MJO9gZQTpMHizyQCo4P_7srZlTHMpMnCkb-6YdP7u25ZNoOefljneqsplsWrikDzM3a4/s1600/colonsay+bored+wood+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDmsWrmNUeZjEtlHKdj6rDQeU3tXF0VMTjGEIA0ey2qXtRzoXlnGdt4g0QNW2EvEbxAyjet_MJO9gZQTpMHizyQCo4P_7srZlTHMpMnCkb-6YdP7u25ZNoOefljneqsplsWrikDzM3a4/s400/colonsay+bored+wood+3.JPG" t8="true" width="303px" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The molluscs themselves were long since gone but some robust bashing and rattling caused some fragments of shell to drop out.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCs3WobbUpSGNUkbLU5-PX43a8Gzyt-95o-FsuvFrMSaI6Ki8XKEteWof0Ef8_d91MFF2BazSIkvJb79sQ2OLPe4uyIjQnJMvf8UDZyATItF6n93vNKqW2g368CSYVLDKkoHGYi6DJx80/s1600/shipworm+shell3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCs3WobbUpSGNUkbLU5-PX43a8Gzyt-95o-FsuvFrMSaI6Ki8XKEteWof0Ef8_d91MFF2BazSIkvJb79sQ2OLPe4uyIjQnJMvf8UDZyATItF6n93vNKqW2g368CSYVLDKkoHGYi6DJx80/s400/shipworm+shell3.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
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</div>The tunnels are beautifully formed and those we could see were at least 12 cm long. The timber looked just like someone had been messing about with a drill bit. Allegedly, they keep out of each others tunnels by inter-twining but never breaking through. Maybe that's the point of the hard calcium lining? Who knows.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDa-qaE6qu6O6PYYUsxL1uxduIZeYv3yGlIcq6phj7mAQel9362EQ5t-mwpUXZHO_TJHpRjFxflx4asJ84fs6kLZPYgt82uqvhCKkWpiuy5ERprSCnNqgiPZ2HwHwGcx0GoLo1Bz68Kg/s1600/colonsay+bored+wood+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDa-qaE6qu6O6PYYUsxL1uxduIZeYv3yGlIcq6phj7mAQel9362EQ5t-mwpUXZHO_TJHpRjFxflx4asJ84fs6kLZPYgt82uqvhCKkWpiuy5ERprSCnNqgiPZ2HwHwGcx0GoLo1Bz68Kg/s400/colonsay+bored+wood+2.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
The odd thing is that although the animal can grow up to 20 cm in length, its shells (it's a bivalve) are reduced to tiny bits - bit being the operative word - because the shells are at its head end and it does indeed use them as a drill bit, twisting and turning to drill out the tunnel. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What I can't work out though is what happens when the animal grows. How does it keep widening out its tunnel when the drill bit is stuck up at the front end at the coal face. Can it turn round head over heels and double back? Maybe it just concertinas up and shortens itself? In which case how come the entrance doesn't stay narrower than the inner tunnel? And does it wait until it is fully grown before it lines the tunnel? Ach...so many questions?</div><br />
Some old references say that shipworms do not eat the wood but just use the tunnel as a home. More recent papers revise this and describe special enzymes that the animal produces to break down the cellulose for digestion - so it really does eat ships after all. And anything else made of wood.<br />
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By another of those delightful coincidences I happened to tune in to BBC 2 last night just at the point where they were describing a wreck that had been covered in sediment until recently. Its a 17th century armed merchant ship known as the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13360633">Swash Channel wreck</a>. From fresh as the day it sank to a swiss cheese in no time and they reckon that within another few years it could all be gone . The culprits - the shipworm of course - along with its partner in crime, the fabulously named Gribble (whose wood crunching enzymes, incidentally, are causing <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/27/biofuels-second-generation">a great excitement in the green energy world</a>.)<br />
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If you didn't catch 'Britain's Secret Seas' have a look on the BBC i-player (<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b011pkq2/Britains_Secret_Seas_The_Bustling_South/">here</a>) and zip through to the 28th minute for a 5 minute piece including some great samples and photos together with an x-ray of the beast in its burrow.<br />
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I also read that in the Baltic Sea, where archaeologists have discovered 100s of really old and important wooden vessels, shipworms have always been absent and not a concern. However, in recent times they have begun to appear and are now munching their way through a smörgåsbord<em> </em>of delicious wrecks. I suppose the real reason is not fully understood but as shipworms don't survive in colder water, a presumption has been put about that that old devil called global warming is behind this, through a rise in sea temperature. Could just be that old devil called evolution of course but the change does seem rapid.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Which is to say - there's more to a hole in a piece of driftwood than first meets the eye. </div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-10774076597611489952011-05-29T18:07:00.001+01:002011-06-04T20:06:05.059+01:00Executive nestboxHebridean residents can be very inventive in finding uses for old vehicles. Chicken sheds, kennels, green houses etc. The fisherman / fireman / estate maintenance man who came to fix the tap washer in our rented 'wee hoos' on Colonsay cut off the cab from his old landrover when it finally bit the dust and uses it as a garden shed. Others, applying the principles of human pace I espoused in my last post, leave them to gently ooze their elements back into the earth over a decade or three.<br />
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Phil Gates' <a href="http://cabinetofcuriosities-greenfingers.blogspot.com/2011/05/starlings.html">recent post on starlings</a> (another closet member of the starling fan club comes out) has prompted me to dig out these photos showing another technique. The once proud owner of this limo obviously decided that the best thing was to let it splutter its last then place it carefully in a prominent spot on North Uist so that starlings could have it as a nestbox and everyone could have an uninterrupted view. And the starlings duly obliged, gaining access to the lovely warm and dry wheel arch through the rot hole in the rear wing where the electric aerial once impressed people by easing itself up and down, germanically.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN17djt5aLb-kcMwphnK7M_JFD_gvdz5hY6BKJ1Gqa6_o5Mrske-j9IJq45T5bykPiMDXLixvEknYT4zCorDrq0W12u1_WuBDH-RGr033ADqKz7QW3WNV8KOm0Hbp1LLvYCC-mZMjZjAI/s1600/IMG_3973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN17djt5aLb-kcMwphnK7M_JFD_gvdz5hY6BKJ1Gqa6_o5Mrske-j9IJq45T5bykPiMDXLixvEknYT4zCorDrq0W12u1_WuBDH-RGr033ADqKz7QW3WNV8KOm0Hbp1LLvYCC-mZMjZjAI/s400/IMG_3973.jpg" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGb4JBsVQVLrYEWKxDyMBih66auQD8Tk7OV78vMDWYY86hpAOkfEtRj5xkg7H9h0Lv_qVR-kk4mfFJ7IzsBZh4obPmIp73h9ACBO2CfeKAFy0g8eiQBaus5pleiq9pQ39W4T723a5ZdU4/s1600/IMG_3974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGb4JBsVQVLrYEWKxDyMBih66auQD8Tk7OV78vMDWYY86hpAOkfEtRj5xkg7H9h0Lv_qVR-kk4mfFJ7IzsBZh4obPmIp73h9ACBO2CfeKAFy0g8eiQBaus5pleiq9pQ39W4T723a5ZdU4/s400/IMG_3974.jpg" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbHU6mHOwPinfWEDg2Ojg4P2Ic5knLRq3rb7ZuwycjaZZdbhtdPnQufrwT6TntTw5SZ9qONOggHBJF0UMxDYAOu8Vg8vLblHVpcI4pTTnvIYISQi-8lKtnUPHQYoksNZelumqqw9YMTI/s1600/IMG_3975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbHU6mHOwPinfWEDg2Ojg4P2Ic5knLRq3rb7ZuwycjaZZdbhtdPnQufrwT6TntTw5SZ9qONOggHBJF0UMxDYAOu8Vg8vLblHVpcI4pTTnvIYISQi-8lKtnUPHQYoksNZelumqqw9YMTI/s400/IMG_3975.jpg" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
The flashiest starling nest site in the world.....?<br />
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<strong><em>Click </em></strong><a href="http://standandstare-nyctalus.blogspot.com/search/label/starling"><strong><em>here</em></strong></a><strong><em> for yet more in praise of starlings.</em></strong>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-50227913863034260302011-05-28T23:55:00.002+01:002011-05-28T23:55:00.186+01:00Saviour of the Human Pace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7k60bAzYuCSAJPvGswSsyyJ4PkEliS8A489kjH6wTWZL7Q8MZQXL4zbuzID63neFPPdyDRw1vg5wpgufvEETcGMFEILNhbVH-VBjZpxqFMKR0IJMFlss3wJb1HW_7DN5WIT2j6rJ128/s1600/colonsay+storms+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7k60bAzYuCSAJPvGswSsyyJ4PkEliS8A489kjH6wTWZL7Q8MZQXL4zbuzID63neFPPdyDRw1vg5wpgufvEETcGMFEILNhbVH-VBjZpxqFMKR0IJMFlss3wJb1HW_7DN5WIT2j6rJ128/s400/colonsay+storms+2.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
In my frantic world of work, where the insatiable email monster whips up expectations of responses to everything at the speed of light or faster, it's so easy to find yourself disconnected from the natural human pace and rhythm. A bit like city kids having no concept of the real night sky. So, how <u>do</u> you recalibrate your system back to human pace without crashing and needing a talking-therapy reboot? <br />
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I offer two foolproof options. First, try repeating the mantra of that well know philosopher and all round deep thinker, King Louie, in the Jungle Book film - 'Cool it, boy. Unwind yourself.' Alternatively, spend a week or more on a small Hebridean island.<br />
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The one I've just been to does nicely. No terrestrial telly signal, a mobile that wouldn't work, one loop of single track twisty road where no-one can really top 20mph. Even the ubiquitous Caledonian MacBrayne ferries don't visit every day. Then from that imposed slow baseline, go out all day, every day and get some proper awful weather catapulted into your face by a deepening Atlantic depression. By, it works a treat - as you can tell by this chipper CalMac ferry deck hand.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegMI_n1GOW2NnoC_oeKwtRnVagVypvCQvaX9rJVODEq76JKViZmFwa21rJovSRI8HZRG7EG_iGutICwLHkwzop3zLDbxjckNHIxswicrFkiwJX5xsXqBSkR0rT0-I9CISANSnqWxRM0s/s1600/Colonsay+CalMac+ferry+staff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegMI_n1GOW2NnoC_oeKwtRnVagVypvCQvaX9rJVODEq76JKViZmFwa21rJovSRI8HZRG7EG_iGutICwLHkwzop3zLDbxjckNHIxswicrFkiwJX5xsXqBSkR0rT0-I9CISANSnqWxRM0s/s400/Colonsay+CalMac+ferry+staff.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
So for the next few posts I'll up-sticks from my usual NE England base to Colonsay. The glamorous end (choughs, corncrakes, otters and stuff like that) can wait. This was one of our most intriguing finds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5Fc05HBCO7CWEOzG7wIMT_LgHk3XZ4CbHe73WySWi2_3R8UKP9msMpXfDwgYAzrlS7um0d01A6wCJ3JBRLz0aM7c_OaAXeoVmsR3kJuaGVHv7Tl0biRntrA05m5Muu5Y-YkHZxg7xhU/s1600/colonsay+bored+wood.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5Fc05HBCO7CWEOzG7wIMT_LgHk3XZ4CbHe73WySWi2_3R8UKP9msMpXfDwgYAzrlS7um0d01A6wCJ3JBRLz0aM7c_OaAXeoVmsR3kJuaGVHv7Tl0biRntrA05m5Muu5Y-YkHZxg7xhU/s400/colonsay+bored+wood.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">More next time.....</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-26553808660765752112011-05-04T20:53:00.005+01:002011-05-04T22:05:27.307+01:00Beside an eiderSeahouses on a British Bank Holiday Sunday - you either love it or you hate it. A heady mix of smells - chips, candyfloss, doughnuts, dogs (hot or otherwise); visual treats - people stuffing their faces with chips, candyfloss, doughnuts, dogs (hot only); and sounds - the whirring credit card machines at the Farne Islands trip kiosks, the hubbub of the tat emporium bursting at the seams with punters, and the local lads eyeing up the lasses and going ahh-ooo-er when they see one they like the look of....... and that's just the ducks.<br />
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Although I would admit to being particularly partial to a pintail, there is nothing in the duck world that quite matches the eider in my humble opinion and there is no finer place to get up close and personal than the harbour at Seahouses. Feed them your sandwich crumbs if you want an even closer encounter.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">At this time of year there is much posturing going on between the males and the mixed group of a couple of dozen ducks and drakes were full of interaction, noise and bustle with a bit of sex thrown in too. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Almost as enjoyable as watching the eiders is watching the people watching the eiders. The sound that the drakes make as they throw back their heads and puff out their chests (<a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/e/eider/index.aspx">here</a> in case you need reminding) makes everyone smile. Its hilarious and so are the passers-by who, without fail, seem unable to resist turning to their companions and mimicking ah-ooo-er.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNn351bDkbdz_Q5XB1H6SsHcw66anIoSQw24MR0h3C-Yi2HFK03s5f4uQBqpuSQSb8gLRpdXY68jG-NjA_vv7kJNR7XxtSWuauFwxdGrYvhops-SF9qAwzRHnSUX12aqhBGS0o07TnUU/s1600/eider11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNn351bDkbdz_Q5XB1H6SsHcw66anIoSQw24MR0h3C-Yi2HFK03s5f4uQBqpuSQSb8gLRpdXY68jG-NjA_vv7kJNR7XxtSWuauFwxdGrYvhops-SF9qAwzRHnSUX12aqhBGS0o07TnUU/s320/eider11.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Much has been written about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Eider">Cuddy's Duck</a> and I dare say some of it is even true, but one aspect of the UK's heaviest duck that intrigued me recently can be found in my earlier post about <a href="http://standandstare-nyctalus.blogspot.com/2010/03/salt-with-everything.html">snotty nose syndrome</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVMP7qvb_-R3p2zuv8loFX-W-89f2mex4h1kEmmzpgmBo23tnrE_SKIo95mqy_Oi_SH62bQddpAqOGdCtEYX7-UKW1QkcpiW7AsRligEx5u4KihYCbKQQj6qEyTfKqNyDctLyn-LkAgQ/s1600/eider10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVMP7qvb_-R3p2zuv8loFX-W-89f2mex4h1kEmmzpgmBo23tnrE_SKIo95mqy_Oi_SH62bQddpAqOGdCtEYX7-UKW1QkcpiW7AsRligEx5u4KihYCbKQQj6qEyTfKqNyDctLyn-LkAgQ/s320/eider10.JPG" width="141px" /></a></div></div></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-22850690392475574972011-04-29T22:46:00.001+01:002011-04-29T22:46:00.722+01:00The bells, the bells<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Usually I have plenty to say but not this time. I'm happy to let the beauty of a mature English bluebell wood speak for itself - and to thank Durham University for its gentle management of Great High Wood on the outskirts of Durham city. The future of one of the region's finest bluebell displays is in very good hands.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSK_x9dI_R9hUD3KuZA0UnJ5I4TCOIz0kC6MKf1lvHTFog1UBjZmnYhU2358W28m8Xpbgo590oUHEaB-GxHu9ZLLA5SnN_T9rgYdQ3yKZ8t2UO14m8jPRJIffPP9itXSbqKKKEGGfH7vQ/s1600/bluebell+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSK_x9dI_R9hUD3KuZA0UnJ5I4TCOIz0kC6MKf1lvHTFog1UBjZmnYhU2358W28m8Xpbgo590oUHEaB-GxHu9ZLLA5SnN_T9rgYdQ3yKZ8t2UO14m8jPRJIffPP9itXSbqKKKEGGfH7vQ/s400/bluebell+2.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNO57S_ZWi45aWo5Vux2G8OHCL09iQGjp4F3IqsKYX-TsZM1DG8i8_uYXfMtIAH5QAlAveQ7A8-JCeCjHRprqDwtyHBwP9fntoS4J8TgwixwrAuTt0Y4qOtMvNlGltcCQbv6xF2UYjUI/s1600/bluebell+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNO57S_ZWi45aWo5Vux2G8OHCL09iQGjp4F3IqsKYX-TsZM1DG8i8_uYXfMtIAH5QAlAveQ7A8-JCeCjHRprqDwtyHBwP9fntoS4J8TgwixwrAuTt0Y4qOtMvNlGltcCQbv6xF2UYjUI/s400/bluebell+1.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-50826972943219450722011-04-27T23:56:00.002+01:002011-04-28T21:48:02.957+01:00The Extra in the Ordinary (2)The old limekilns by the harbour at Beadnell in Northumberland are always worth a look if you are passing by. The other day when I was up that way the sun was catching a wall of stone that was positioned in front of a dark inner chamber. I thought that it might be interesting to hang about to see if anything landed on the wall in the front-of-stage spotlight against the dark curtains.<br />
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A woodpigeon seemed to find this idea amusing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wge86Y9qtyhWP7x3a-ps5Bu1RpCZUwq07ziThLh0IOC3AC0JF5MqYwBDdupT_XsAi6ySnkzNRBOlokl36c35CbT8jYHQn580jtJlkx7YunQEzBVhm_NsQr1UYErxq6XLadkJtdNj-gI/s1600/wodpigeon+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wge86Y9qtyhWP7x3a-ps5Bu1RpCZUwq07ziThLh0IOC3AC0JF5MqYwBDdupT_XsAi6ySnkzNRBOlokl36c35CbT8jYHQn580jtJlkx7YunQEzBVhm_NsQr1UYErxq6XLadkJtdNj-gI/s400/wodpigeon+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
But the real star was the ever-extraordinary, superb starling.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRoD_43yajSCBRK1kwhPcip2FtYE5i2bjb5vnBzeLVsB-oHDavah157MxP6DXsVfjNlqy5rRlKN2eWqKpsM8wzFXBtAk7QqcClBfnMbab9H5knhiVxa8jJKYTzoCp1Vhh7RSwk08Fg2PE/s1600/starling+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRoD_43yajSCBRK1kwhPcip2FtYE5i2bjb5vnBzeLVsB-oHDavah157MxP6DXsVfjNlqy5rRlKN2eWqKpsM8wzFXBtAk7QqcClBfnMbab9H5knhiVxa8jJKYTzoCp1Vhh7RSwk08Fg2PE/s400/starling+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>There is such pleasure to be had out of this bog-standard, undervalued bird. As it moved, the metallic colours produced by the angled sunlight on the feathers flashed from gold to green and purple to bronze. Magnificent. Add to this the astonishing behaviour of winter roosting flocks (great video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH-groCeKbE">here</a>) and you've got one brilliant bird. I rest my case.<br />
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<div align="center">*************</div><em>If you would like to follow comment threads on this post without having to remember to revisit and check if anyone has left anything new or replied to one of yours, please click on <strong>'subscribe by email'</strong> below and you will be tipped off by email when anyone leaves a new comment</em>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-55453319546790322802011-04-23T23:35:00.002+01:002011-04-24T07:33:07.067+01:00The Owl Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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One of the curiosities of recording TV programmes is the little time capsules of news that you catch at either end of the thing you want. So it is that I have just watched a newsflash about Gatwick Airport being closed due to snow. It caused me to reflect for a moment on Newton's Fourth Law, which states: the airtime given by BBC News to snow and ice dramas is directly proportional to the amount of snow that falls upon London and inversely proportional to that which falls upon Northumberland.<br />
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A few years ago now we were driving down a quiet road in North Northumberland when my daughter annouced that she had just seen two owls in a tree. (By the way, there is a connnection to snow here if you stick with it). As it was 11am on a bright hot sunny May day, I thought little owl, but my tyres were right when they screeched a passable barn owl impression on the tarmac. We slowly reversed back up the hill to an old roadside ash to see four black eyes staring out of the hole in the bole.<br />
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We watched one fly out and disappear down the road. That night we came back and sat nearby at dusk to listen to quiet hisses before a bird silently emerged and sat around in the branches until it became to dark to see it anymore.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Since then, each year I have gone back to the owl tree and enjoyed the sight and sound of these fabulous birds. Last night, however, the owl tree was silent. I was half expecting this, having heard from my mate who runs a barn owl nest box and ringing scheme on the northern edge of the nearby Cheviots that things were looking pretty bleak for barn owl numbers after the hard winter. I fear 'my' birds have not survived either.<br />
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There has been a lot of press inches about the effect of prolonged snow cover on Barn Owl survival and given that their primary food source, voles, are inaccessible to a hunting owl in a snow covered landscape, this must be a significant factor. As with most things though its more complicated than that. The Barn Owl Trust has an interesting overview of winter survival <a href="http://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/infopage.html?Id=78">here</a>.<br />
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So with the gloom surrounding the Owl Tree this year it was all the more pleasing to have seen the owl at the top of the post fit and well on the Northumberland Wildlife Trust's Hauxley reserve.</div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-10353314061546197032011-04-22T23:21:00.001+01:002011-04-23T08:10:17.105+01:00Poring over PoriferaThe minute I turned to the page in the field guide and read, 'for all their simplicity these are the most difficult to describe carefully and scientifically' I knew I should have picked crabs.<br />
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Along with a hundred or so other volunteers, I am taking part in the <a href="http://www.bigseasurvey.co.uk/">Big Sea Survey</a> on the NE coast of England. This brilliant scheme aims to plug a huge gap in knowledge of the status of intertidal life by harnessing volunteer power, trained and supported by Dr Heather Sugden and colleagues at Newcastle University's Dove Marine Laboratory, to carry out surveys using reproduceable scientific methods.<br />
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So it is that I am looking at sponges (someone's got to do it) and headed down to the low tide rocks at Beadnell in Northumberland. The kelp zone is a fabulous, alien environment, perfect for honing your swearing skills. If you don't believe me, you try walking on rocks covered in <em>Laminaria digitata</em> and see what comes out of your mouth. <br />
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It doesn't look much on the surface....<br />
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... but part the slimey fronds for the full technicolour experience.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A4bn0fxGluA1_YTc46iJng6RO_qKMloEPnf-D98eT46kPuCICLwd78vDcec1ujSYoqEBg4-E8v0c39Cfzz9fTmvaO-13P144PzFdeyIDHKeKpxhaWUNoMlUKsPCQIaCS1P-bN6pFBm0/s1600/AW-190411-Beadnell+transect1-12+web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386px" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A4bn0fxGluA1_YTc46iJng6RO_qKMloEPnf-D98eT46kPuCICLwd78vDcec1ujSYoqEBg4-E8v0c39Cfzz9fTmvaO-13P144PzFdeyIDHKeKpxhaWUNoMlUKsPCQIaCS1P-bN6pFBm0/s400/AW-190411-Beadnell+transect1-12+web.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQkcHQbs0y1N8Te2Ri4Ds3bLBClZxeHgfGev_yRj-uAikKXUj-l4dwyB2pQjLUrHTmvX8EfzaLxOm_7WN4poJWrMVg3rRAtmB3EkQLV1bh04eKJTg_CMQlIAAzPFcsyrIOrplCocpB9I/s1600/AW-190411-Beadnell+transect1-14+web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQkcHQbs0y1N8Te2Ri4Ds3bLBClZxeHgfGev_yRj-uAikKXUj-l4dwyB2pQjLUrHTmvX8EfzaLxOm_7WN4poJWrMVg3rRAtmB3EkQLV1bh04eKJTg_CMQlIAAzPFcsyrIOrplCocpB9I/s400/AW-190411-Beadnell+transect1-14+web.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
Things get interesting when you try to identify the species of sponges here. The guidebooks assist with phrases like 'white-orange-yellow-green-brown' ; 'form may be very variable' ; 'surface furrowed or smooth' and other really helpful things. The commonest by far here is the breadcrumb sponge <em>Halichondria panicea.</em> Although the colour varies the form is predictable with these prominent volcano features:-<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo4avenOW28nHatHmARsLu6Idg9sTeZtA2c7-fpeRyFChst9HgoGFwPqRN578GB_Zi7KEURKtPzWb7w-cDfnMHb_8k8S48kBrzDkLerUNvDxQkmRrtS82Y0fz3-nDauDFx1jmw5MAZOY/s1600/AW-190411-Beadnell+transect1-10+web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362px" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo4avenOW28nHatHmARsLu6Idg9sTeZtA2c7-fpeRyFChst9HgoGFwPqRN578GB_Zi7KEURKtPzWb7w-cDfnMHb_8k8S48kBrzDkLerUNvDxQkmRrtS82Y0fz3-nDauDFx1jmw5MAZOY/s400/AW-190411-Beadnell+transect1-10+web.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
Sponges are simple little animals packed together in colonies. They take in water through the general structure and then eject it via the craters (oscula), filtering out goodies in the process. Some very interesting things feed on them too - sea slugs for example. Right next to this patch was a beautiful, delicate swirl of eggs produced ( I think) by one particular nudibranch - the Sea Lemon. There must be millions of tiny eggs in this mass - which was about 4cm across with the curtains standing a centimetre in depth off the rock.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYba-1LVOXRgeqpd5R_LRu3JkzAOeaEUuEnHE0KyAU6hI6Fbw1S6GPvhyyCE2CGrugYVaY_uVU0XHqFX5MtMe6UuOBTBdMj-_xXvYUrtRkxwboU8TPhFz1S6YvYQD2MQ_OeNCr26bOFFc/s1600/AW-190411-Beadnell+transect1-23+web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355px" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYba-1LVOXRgeqpd5R_LRu3JkzAOeaEUuEnHE0KyAU6hI6Fbw1S6GPvhyyCE2CGrugYVaY_uVU0XHqFX5MtMe6UuOBTBdMj-_xXvYUrtRkxwboU8TPhFz1S6YvYQD2MQ_OeNCr26bOFFc/s400/AW-190411-Beadnell+transect1-23+web.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
I'm a convert. Sponges are cool. And at least they don't bite your fingers.Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-18944815876670911632010-12-01T23:40:00.002+00:002010-12-01T23:40:00.084+00:00Bits on Bats 8: Goodnight - see you next Spring.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0bONf_VZrMgzUkxJr5qpnHcbIQ5KFTWmd6iVGiX2eDf-eXyZAq1ryB_U8tvviPIiAitMWfOP1KfNmXXcm6vTcxmI1kmkBg3fNHaX3dUIW6ZJtnF0HGPLcPtp5Gk-cb1KK-L8tK8UrwA/s1600/icicles+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0bONf_VZrMgzUkxJr5qpnHcbIQ5KFTWmd6iVGiX2eDf-eXyZAq1ryB_U8tvviPIiAitMWfOP1KfNmXXcm6vTcxmI1kmkBg3fNHaX3dUIW6ZJtnF0HGPLcPtp5Gk-cb1KK-L8tK8UrwA/s400/icicles+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Trapped in by domestic requirements, the icicles dangling off the conservatory gutters seemed like prison bars. The wintry scene set me thinking - why is it that so few animals hibernate and why can't we? Apart from bats, only the hedgehog and the dormouse hibernate among British mammals. Yet surely it has wider merit than that as a way of riding out rough patches. I mean, we're all mammals with similar physiology, so how come all mammals can't do it? I guess that there are a number of competing factors that determine whether it is a sensible strategy or not. For our bats its a no-brainer. They can't eat anything except flying insects and you'll probably have noticed that there's not a lot of those around right now. So they have three options - migrate, hibernate, die.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">British species of insectivorous bats are pushing at the northern limit of their ranges and all originated in tropical areas. Although some do migrate, the commonest strategy is to hiberate. But the fact is, hibernation is not all it's cracked up to be. If you don't get stocked up on reserves you won't make it through. Also if you get disturbed and woken up this can use up significant energy reserves that can make the difference between surviving and not. It's a risky strategy.</div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I read an interesting take on why humans don't hibernate which I find persuasive. Humans evolved in tropical regions where seasonal food shortage wasn't really a problem. No advantage to be had from developing hibernation. We only spread out to the colder parts of the globe within the last 100,000 years or so and this isn't long enough to evolve the physiological changes to enable hibernation. Plus, there's no point (however appealing it may seem at this time of year!) as we are versatile eaters and the discovery of fire, clothing, shelter etc enable us to survive cold periods much more successfully than if we hibernated. By contrast, bats were catching insects in prehistoric skies while our ancestors were no more than small lemur-like primates. So they have had millions of years to evolve hibernation as a response to being totally dependent on a food source that disappears for months on end.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Hibernation is a fascinating business. Bats find cold places with steady, low temperatures (caves, tunnels, thick walls etc) and let their body temperature drop to a degree above ambient - ideally between 6 and 9 degrees C - and just close down. The heart rate drops to 10 beats per minute in a bat whose heart will be belting away 1000 times a minute in summer flight. Energy needs reduce to almost zero (less than 1% of that needed when fully revved up at 39C). The bat goes cold and stiff and a tiny pipistrelle can last like this for 100 days with ease. The bat in the photo below - which is courtesy of the Leeds university - is covered in condensation. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.rrcpc.org.uk/easegill/text/images/whisk2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="bottom" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.rrcpc.org.uk/easegill/text/images/whisk2.jpg" width="240" x-sas-useimageheight="" x-sas-useimagewidth="" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (photo c/o Bat Research Group at the University of Leeds)</span> </div><br />
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Coming back to the question of whether humans could develop hibernation if need be there are a couple of tantalising stories of people who were rescuscitated hours after they were thought dead. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/620609.stm">One case </a>involved a women trapped head first under water beneath a frozen river for over an hour. Another involved a japanese man found on a snowy mountain side 24 days after vanishing. When searchers discovered him, he appeared to be in a frozen coma. His pulse was almost undetectable. His body temperature had dropped to 22c and his organs had mostly shut down. He recovered fully with no lasting ill effects. One of his doctors said: "He was frozen alive and survived. If we can understand why, it opens up all sorts of possibilities for the future." Indeed.<br />
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Meanwhile, back to bats. They have one other neat trick. Apart from hibernation, at any time of day, at any time of the year they can let their body temperature drop to ambient if there is a cold snap or poor feeding. The technical term is torpor but one book I have refers to it as 'daily lethargy'. I must have bat genes tucked away somewhere then....Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-63737190908211777502010-11-28T00:16:00.000+00:002010-11-28T00:16:03.313+00:00One hundred and one not outAh well, back again. Once a blogger always a blogger, I guess. So to kick-start things for my 101st post, here is a slab of concrete.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYnkhKHs7ZDhakAcYjgJ7GPVK-N-fPGZv9HjdgqNxxScpHuG4sVJtGjU-o0vANze9fDtJBK0dlpZuQ-e8Eyig6xdir_E2Qx48V6D78y_bi2MjIP-Jd5rW_tMxshditmHEC3bMA2-dGEU/s1600/concrete.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYnkhKHs7ZDhakAcYjgJ7GPVK-N-fPGZv9HjdgqNxxScpHuG4sVJtGjU-o0vANze9fDtJBK0dlpZuQ-e8Eyig6xdir_E2Qx48V6D78y_bi2MjIP-Jd5rW_tMxshditmHEC3bMA2-dGEU/s320/concrete.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's my front drive actually, in urban north Newcastle. The only thing I can think of to say about it is that it's not very good woodcock habitat. For example, when my wife went out to take the kids to school the other morning there wasn't a woodcock to be seen on it anywhere.</div><br />
When she came back there was. Dead as a dodo. Fresh as a daisy.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7GsLTN6_E69aY-yLsBiS9cMxtYtPVXXkHf1heV2xZcqpv_KmYO4jVMY49xrEjQJGWRcWg-klkBHGsR3D2kPOpDef7QAMD2fBlPhDR7eeKRcFYFYc63eljrirxtJeraBKPvalKLhqdD0/s1600/woodcock+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7GsLTN6_E69aY-yLsBiS9cMxtYtPVXXkHf1heV2xZcqpv_KmYO4jVMY49xrEjQJGWRcWg-klkBHGsR3D2kPOpDef7QAMD2fBlPhDR7eeKRcFYFYc63eljrirxtJeraBKPvalKLhqdD0/s400/woodcock+1.JPG" width="273" /></a></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">No doubt one of the gazillion cats round here did the damage but its notable in that it's the second successive year we've seen woodcock here -except that last year's was alive and well in the back garden. (If you missed that one you can catch up on the story and some interesting comments <a href="http://standandstare-nyctalus.blogspot.com/2009/12/good-garden-game.html">here</a>)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The opportunity for a decent look at the plumage was too good to miss, and what a beautiful bird it really is - particularly on the scapulars and the upper wing coverts shown below.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEoUVk6SHbCgJBUCZAu9roktKKYDis0kB7haiTa7ZTRZHRtnz-kYW3W15B10hsC_DbW_RRYX4zbbHTzk58Zv-nVVVE7Ma5ToKjXrbEbrWpyYRq1gL57TE2jFPyR8r97tcspBq4Vw5yk8/s1600/woodcock+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEoUVk6SHbCgJBUCZAu9roktKKYDis0kB7haiTa7ZTRZHRtnz-kYW3W15B10hsC_DbW_RRYX4zbbHTzk58Zv-nVVVE7Ma5ToKjXrbEbrWpyYRq1gL57TE2jFPyR8r97tcspBq4Vw5yk8/s400/woodcock+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBjPsOpwZXeSfZ28I2XodYFpIvzzNkEEfxRiWZHfWJnoGj-lTuw8GEKNq0AMc6X5aANYN8ehNy2FzqHoYgEYXd3YDRXV6H8ceghK7SX7svfypM92GgDBYn6y9xIxlTAjL7cNTUTmP96k/s1600/woodcock+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBjPsOpwZXeSfZ28I2XodYFpIvzzNkEEfxRiWZHfWJnoGj-lTuw8GEKNq0AMc6X5aANYN8ehNy2FzqHoYgEYXd3YDRXV6H8ceghK7SX7svfypM92GgDBYn6y9xIxlTAjL7cNTUTmP96k/s400/woodcock+3.JPG" width="341" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Wonderful leafy camouflage and therein probably lay this one's downfall. My guess would be that it dropped into the street after a lengthy migration flight to the UK and holed up, knackered, under a bush somewhere, only to get Tiddlesed for its trouble. Pesky things - dumping in me raised beds and knobbling me woodcocks. Grrr gnash.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiUn3KSw4n4L-FeuGTQBi5821TTlaVp_qGNMYCrrEo6CeIvJkWvxaS0EIob6ho4QaWXb5_cJy49FsL5LFsBeBE_n235xVGaNrVcQfNwFQYsGaXB-UJmbA-oCj-2OYkAg1Hu7QmV6tvso/s1600/woodcock+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiUn3KSw4n4L-FeuGTQBi5821TTlaVp_qGNMYCrrEo6CeIvJkWvxaS0EIob6ho4QaWXb5_cJy49FsL5LFsBeBE_n235xVGaNrVcQfNwFQYsGaXB-UJmbA-oCj-2OYkAg1Hu7QmV6tvso/s400/woodcock+2.JPG" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The tail feathers are very distinctive, should you ever come across one. The shape is unusual with a tapered, squared end and the tip is lighter on the upper side but flip it over and it's bright white.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJVxuSqITdemq8DIyytRH9vCqJP7Uq-amhSbFMQDSKQXrv_1-jcIj0I6frCkrPrCRLJ0sySNSe_F_O1H-DP0Q4VfF2N4ZEpRrfpBu-FClkgNI429ihjmo0n4kjAD2idpn7f0x3UP3GTI/s1600/woodcock+tail+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJVxuSqITdemq8DIyytRH9vCqJP7Uq-amhSbFMQDSKQXrv_1-jcIj0I6frCkrPrCRLJ0sySNSe_F_O1H-DP0Q4VfF2N4ZEpRrfpBu-FClkgNI429ihjmo0n4kjAD2idpn7f0x3UP3GTI/s320/woodcock+tail+1.JPG" width="169" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_AlQJNJ1zKNh2oSfqEwSCbBvaOInzgwg08NpldvVum5EeHD77FJtGmWMdNoKU2WZxYC7e9rbdwDrPl_oOlwb_TM3ucqCPCxCAGoCrTUoYOQoibDdrwdxVRqkZ3dlBOVd8X99iyCJj1E/s1600/woodcock+tail+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_AlQJNJ1zKNh2oSfqEwSCbBvaOInzgwg08NpldvVum5EeHD77FJtGmWMdNoKU2WZxYC7e9rbdwDrPl_oOlwb_TM3ucqCPCxCAGoCrTUoYOQoibDdrwdxVRqkZ3dlBOVd8X99iyCJj1E/s320/woodcock+tail+2.JPG" width="146" /></a></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-23560060847706548982010-10-06T23:55:00.002+01:002010-10-06T23:55:00.910+01:00Over and out (....possibly)<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVlRSYw32k7x267yfZeCq9rdRIJ2WPfz47j3fDpRh9hNBdhI3xz76FNLAzCSOW68kTVYYEywrtHL7u7QWNAxicSjTO2TyFwZuPVtvQMwzxYdUNalqHT_CCYB5ZVDtJjPwVuT5ikTZ6wc/s1600/background+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVlRSYw32k7x267yfZeCq9rdRIJ2WPfz47j3fDpRh9hNBdhI3xz76FNLAzCSOW68kTVYYEywrtHL7u7QWNAxicSjTO2TyFwZuPVtvQMwzxYdUNalqHT_CCYB5ZVDtJjPwVuT5ikTZ6wc/s400/background+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I started blogging for no particular reason than I fancied a go. I enjoy sharing natural history observations with like-minded people but the opportunities for me to do so face to face are fairly limited, what with family, work and stuff like that. It seemed to me that the blogosphere might possibly fill that gap and to some extent it has. I assumed that I would soon run out of steam and yet here I am at my 100th post. As it happens, it has made me realise that I rather enjoy the process of writing. That's a discovery in itself. So, thank you to my small but regular band of readers and followers for tracking my burblings and for chipping in comments from time to time. I have also really enjoyed keeping tabs on my favourite blogs - thanks to you all for all the things I've learned (and for reminding me what quality photos are meant to look like!)</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">However, I don't know about you, but I don't find Blogger that helpful in promoting and sharing discussion about observations. For I-write-you-read blogging its great but for interaction its much less effective. If I leave a comment on your blog for instance, I never find out if you have responded unless I remember to go back to your post and check. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Similarly, if you comment on my blog and I respond to that, you have no way of knowing and, again, the chain is broken and the moment lost. This really does stifle any chance of ongoing discussion and interaction beyond the first comment. This in turn makes it quite difficult to get into much depth and means we all miss out on those delightful random links where one thing leads to another and another.... </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtslEhSguoX2RtmkhgGdYROoNNPIhYAF_d51TihCGF244auUf88b7KttnVmZNeIcsU2dAQLdd_bq2tKNSE5gr9bT6vsSt5Aj5neQm7O66UwecSqr_OW96ShpG8HKbwoybsgn8SLSjkdkU/s1600/question+mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtslEhSguoX2RtmkhgGdYROoNNPIhYAF_d51TihCGF244auUf88b7KttnVmZNeIcsU2dAQLdd_bq2tKNSE5gr9bT6vsSt5Aj5neQm7O66UwecSqr_OW96ShpG8HKbwoybsgn8SLSjkdkU/s320/question+mark.jpg" width="89" /></a>Maybe there is a better platform than Blogger for this somewhere that I haven't found yet? (It's probably called a natural history society!) </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So, does my blog have a future? Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. Trouble is though, this blogging lark is addictive and the natural world is a bottomless pit of new discoveries to share. Maybe I'll start a companion blog to Stand and Stare called Sit and Think, where I post less but in more depth. Hmm. Now there's an idea.....</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For now though, and while I cogitate, best wishes and many thanks to everyone who has ever bothered to read my stuff.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Allan</div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-7671130108206726152010-10-05T15:50:00.005+01:002010-10-14T18:13:14.662+01:00On things squatty and snottyNow, where was I? Oh yes, squat lobsters. I mentioned in my last post that this one was about quarter of an inch long in the body. (Sorry about dodgy pictures - I have lost my trusty Lumix and had to borrow my daughter's camera - which struggles more with close-ups shots).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vqahB_QtJuOcXFDNxF_NBwkkncY8fB3LfbYn5sQ9xjcqEXio8TKtJFYoyXrqjtPjBtK0vCV7TnklB8SDr7lFHrOS5ocYj6uRHdmglxko_C249TT11uulUqWWVePtb-61xSeEkuJCXUY/s1600/squat+lobster+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vqahB_QtJuOcXFDNxF_NBwkkncY8fB3LfbYn5sQ9xjcqEXio8TKtJFYoyXrqjtPjBtK0vCV7TnklB8SDr7lFHrOS5ocYj6uRHdmglxko_C249TT11uulUqWWVePtb-61xSeEkuJCXUY/s400/squat+lobster+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The other notable thing about it is that it resembles none of those to be seen in any of my seashore field guides nor pictures to be readily found on the web. Is this some exciting new Northumbrian rarity then? Cue hilarious seashore pun. Hold fast! Before getting carried away maybe there is a clue in its size. Fully grown squat lobsters are up to 4 inches long in the body depending on the species so this, at about quarter of an inch, is very early stage youngster. Being a decapod crustacean, the squat lobster's lifecyle goes from egg and sperm to a larval form that floats about in the plankton before moulting into something recognisably squattish. I gather that the adult colouring and form doesn't immediately appear. Trouble is, that's all the books tend to show you.<br />
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If you ignore the colour or lack of it and the yellow socks but study instead the detail of the structures between the goggly eyes, this begins to look like the spiny squat lobster <em>Gallathea spigosa</em>. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. It is a bonny thing when adult. <a href="http://articles.uwphoto.no/Image_month/previous_Images_of_the_month_9.htm">This close up is terrific</a>.<br />
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And a quick 'did-you-know'. Squat lobsters are more closely related to hermit crabs than lobsters. (How have you got through your life without that fact to hand?)<br />
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Its strange how you get no clue about what's under a rock from how it looks on top. Some turn up nothing yet this one was alive with stuff. In addition to the squat lobster, there is the breadcrumb sponge it's sitting on, a colony of bryozoans along the edge of the sponge; the spiral tube worm <em>Spirorbis</em> and a few random snotty looking things that are probably sea quirts.<br />
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Meanwhile, just along the shore - more strange snotty blobs under a rock<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQw3Tq3yEPAEJ_irNDtDIOQFMX9bYcEnKVhsiCf-us1y8NIpFI_6fNBGrcuKG4IBFPzm62cjosscHu-eY8Y_F1l6sRd-iJD3EUg5Pvzsr5bRe01vHbtn3z4gtu0SRiEJsgegsIWFvYnk/s1600/sea+hares+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQw3Tq3yEPAEJ_irNDtDIOQFMX9bYcEnKVhsiCf-us1y8NIpFI_6fNBGrcuKG4IBFPzm62cjosscHu-eY8Y_F1l6sRd-iJD3EUg5Pvzsr5bRe01vHbtn3z4gtu0SRiEJsgegsIWFvYnk/s400/sea+hares+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The string of eggs give the game away. Not anemones but sea hares <em>(Aplysia punctata ) -</em> very difficult to photograph under water in a howling gale with a dodgy camera but you can just about make out the curvy flappy structures along their backs. They are molluscs but their shell is reduced to a very small remnant hidden under those flaps. It is also fair to say that they have very peculiar sexual habits - a sort of interesting variation on the conga. Each is both male and female, and although there were only two joined up here, they breed in long chains of linked individuals -each fertilised by the one behind while it in turn fertilises the one in front.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBrUuiDHJDqSox-6-kwQ6QxNNcukPJ50weKykKffzWUGvIkCxE-Szo2RIaXe0KIGpInytgEi4N4SKrkxEbkgBkfTDy1yMs7gOgIWNbn-mfOaUkGaQvl90sgM-Mtn9NOyhXHe72SgMSrU/s1600/sea+hares+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBrUuiDHJDqSox-6-kwQ6QxNNcukPJ50weKykKffzWUGvIkCxE-Szo2RIaXe0KIGpInytgEi4N4SKrkxEbkgBkfTDy1yMs7gOgIWNbn-mfOaUkGaQvl90sgM-Mtn9NOyhXHe72SgMSrU/s400/sea+hares+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The size difference was marked. Nothing in the books about this - though they did tell me that they come ashore to breed in the Spring. Yeah, that'll be right. There is a crying need for a really authorative and detailed seashore fieldguide I must say.Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-79512163091650585332010-09-29T17:30:00.000+01:002010-09-29T17:30:39.638+01:00Dahlia SmithMy last post introduced the <a href="http://standandstare-nyctalus.blogspot.com/2010/09/autumn-springs.html">dahlia anemone</a> (formerly <em>Tealia felina</em> but now <em>Urticina felina).</em> I've been trying to get more hard facts about this animal and as usual, because it isn't a bird, there's a scarcity on the internet- though I did unearthed this little gem. The massive crude oil spill from the wreck of the tanker Torrey Canyon on the south coast in 1968 devastated the intertidal life (or maybe it was the detergent used to break up the oil). One month after the spill, researchers found that the dahlia anemone was one of the most resistant animals on the shore, being commonly found alive in pools between the tide-marks which were completely devoid of all other animals. (I was very pleased to note that the person who published this research was called Smith. So that's the post title explained if you were wondering).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSkvRnCFa3XGYkduZA9rxzMlSiHf6RLt2AX9BjE3MqRBHCZ0vE6aUFpTAPOCYQxRMuRE0SMGfRjb7lIVbfPVDnrivESfa4znd7fp2HcIev3zLx-oDT4M606tstjcRJ969mL46CxlKUwg/s1600/dahlia+anemone+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSkvRnCFa3XGYkduZA9rxzMlSiHf6RLt2AX9BjE3MqRBHCZ0vE6aUFpTAPOCYQxRMuRE0SMGfRjb7lIVbfPVDnrivESfa4znd7fp2HcIev3zLx-oDT4M606tstjcRJ969mL46CxlKUwg/s320/dahlia+anemone+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This photo shows the anemone with all of its tentacles retracted. It has sticky projections on the outside which attract bits of debris and provide great camouflage.<br />
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After reading that they can deal with whole crabs, I wondered how. Forget the web, my scruffy old 1961 reprint of a 1948 edition of 'Animals without Backbones' by Ralph Buchsbaum was more use. Clearly no anemone is going to lift up its skirt and run after a crab so it just sits and waits until one blunders on top of it. Then muscles contract to fold the tentacles inwards and pull the crab inside its insides. Its structure is quite simple - basically just like a purse with a draw string top. Inside the animal there are a series of radial partitions and further sub-folds and along the edges of these are cells that release digestive chemicals. Acidic in nature, they make short work of the calcareous external skeleton of the crab and hey presto - crab soup. One hiccup later and the rubbish gets chucked out from the same orifice as the grub went in. What could be simpler.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaydutoGbwCySYK67R913NMq0tUTawauDANog5VsloXtsBt5ssM0RnZMdELNEVHNF2tw2Mfnsk-Uhb35CnaJEI8XNoDFRr3gvnIqYoyZjOPvLDl0F4jaoP4ix-0dH-wrA3ZVDwmdsDGc/s1600/anemone+diagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaydutoGbwCySYK67R913NMq0tUTawauDANog5VsloXtsBt5ssM0RnZMdELNEVHNF2tw2Mfnsk-Uhb35CnaJEI8XNoDFRr3gvnIqYoyZjOPvLDl0F4jaoP4ix-0dH-wrA3ZVDwmdsDGc/s400/anemone+diagram.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">c/o Animals without Backbones: Ralph Buchsbaum: Penguin Books 1961</span></div><br />
Meanwhile, not far away, I turned over a large stone and found this tiny thing clinging to a layer of sponge. Can a squat lobster be cool? Absolutely. No more than about 5mm long in the body, it was the yellow socks that did it for me. More on squat lobsters next time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmLnznx8HjFtavV0rNk_Ly9AhyphenhyphenPPpTXX2qGAsPXSOIj1AOQGXzdwDIyMHapK6HxMtwLZzxedS53Z2hzU1JeyCagNqkQ_qz8Ma0hSXLDfrusiSCrFNOcWMpLO0jq9hbpznpJBUtLD9DOY/s1600/squat+lobster+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmLnznx8HjFtavV0rNk_Ly9AhyphenhyphenPPpTXX2qGAsPXSOIj1AOQGXzdwDIyMHapK6HxMtwLZzxedS53Z2hzU1JeyCagNqkQ_qz8Ma0hSXLDfrusiSCrFNOcWMpLO0jq9hbpznpJBUtLD9DOY/s400/squat+lobster+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-4362813088162210762010-09-27T23:42:00.002+01:002010-11-28T08:32:01.071+00:00Autumn SpringsRockpooling. What better way to spend a glorious summer's day at the beach? Shorts on, sleeves up, paddling about in the water heated up by the beating sun. So why was I doing it yesterday on a freezing Northumbrian beach in an icy, cap-lifting, north easterly blast coming straight off a mountainous sea? Well, when me and John planned the trip three days ago to hit the autumn equinox low spring tides it was beautifully still and double the temperature. Remind me - why do I live here? <br />
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There was no way my boots were coming off for a paddle that's for sure, yet there was plenty of interest for the frozen fingers to get to grips with.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjmzMdexiHmDyNJZe9rtj9e0QjKm6l6xzKJ71auq-xo3UWXmj91hrT3NRAJJeC_iybcnqGKfhJGbYAZzRcLdxIzGupHl7iAwS8kkb_fCuxzf182nN9qNg9VdfC7m85q8Avh1DHdePXmc/s1600/sea+slug+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjmzMdexiHmDyNJZe9rtj9e0QjKm6l6xzKJ71auq-xo3UWXmj91hrT3NRAJJeC_iybcnqGKfhJGbYAZzRcLdxIzGupHl7iAwS8kkb_fCuxzf182nN9qNg9VdfC7m85q8Avh1DHdePXmc/s320/sea+slug+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The sea-slugs are a curious group of animals. Some are extraordinarily ornate, all are difficult to find. This one, about an inch long, is the common grey sea slug (<em>Aeolidia papillosa)</em>, and it looked like something you'd find in your hanky when out of water. Once back in water, its delicate form emerged.<br />
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This member of the Nudibranch group is reckoned to be common but they are very easily overlooked. It feeds exclusively on sea anemones, stinging bits and all. Now, here's an interesting snippet. They don't digest the stinging cells; they use them. Apparently, they somehow manage to transport the cells through their bodies to their backs where they are incorporated as a defence mechanism.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And talking of anemones, the lower shore produced a fair number of these beauties - the dahlia anemone. This one is about three inches in diameter. You can judge the scale from the dog whelk in the foreground. More of this and other finds, including a quarter inch squat lobster with fabulous yellow feet in my next post.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7NFhx4uHW1sbDgsGJRAm6A1q15cUfI_1StusXdh8sA756Jv6PLG5uZelXLWm41HuEsZV25ogkkP-YrfcRnNr-4HLdpmxVHHHr6HeUELz1RLrgjqjM6ejGsVEgKdS3Vn-PCSwc_iROXQ/s1600/dahlia+anemone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7NFhx4uHW1sbDgsGJRAm6A1q15cUfI_1StusXdh8sA756Jv6PLG5uZelXLWm41HuEsZV25ogkkP-YrfcRnNr-4HLdpmxVHHHr6HeUELz1RLrgjqjM6ejGsVEgKdS3Vn-PCSwc_iROXQ/s400/dahlia+anemone.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538854688181850095.post-62351584639419434872010-09-23T22:22:00.032+01:002010-09-23T22:41:03.967+01:00Wren, unimpressedHello. I've been a bit quiet lately not least because my camera has disappeared off the planet, the computer's been playing up and anyway, even when it works I can't seem to get near it these days for kids doing homework and facebooking, frequently at the same time. But a window of opportunity has appeared so... with apologies to proper poets.....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KDNFyfFfairJ8OHlqkFxeK-zwZXX0jokjTVptWa102UYVbXNAMP0Cpg4OkUwpdaUXF2qm29N9Kc5-1hjygyDzVmGwPu6YWzAHEUPlj8pZB_eb-sz7_qOtiTeY0flluRIwx8FI3B77a4/s320/wren.JPG" width="304" /></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Fun and games with terrific scientific names,</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">can while away the airport hours</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">waiting for that bloody plane.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Take this.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Troglodytes troglodytes.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Who came up with that one then?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Its just absurd for the smallest bird,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">with the shortest name in English, wren.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Must have been some English men</div>who chanced to choose a country boozer<br />
with a dingy cellar<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">as inspiration for </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Cave-dweller cave-dweller.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On the other hand</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">they sometimes can</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">encapsulate within a name,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">the very essence of the beast.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Take one, which loves to feast</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">on blood and which we like the least,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">for starters.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Culicoides impunctatus,</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">aka, the Highland Midge</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">is but a smidge of life</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">yet generates such strife.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">But the name itself is worth a smile,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">and that was probably the plan.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It means, so says an Oxford Don, a man</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">of latin and of greek,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">'wee puncturing bastard'</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">with delightful tongue in cheek.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">One final note to end this verse</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">before it gets much worse.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The hoopoe's <em>Upupa</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">is<em> </em>really rather <em>s</em>uper</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">and my favourite fish</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Boops boops</em> is even greater</div>but the latin name to end all names?<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Gasteruption </em><em>jaculator.</em></div><br />
Luckily the flight departure was announced at this point - just as well....<br />
I promise something deep and meaningful next time.</div>Nyctalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.com0