What wildlife did you spot today?

[Chris]

Would anyone be able to confirm that this is a Giant Horntail?

I heard the rapidly loudening sound of a Huey and I think Fortunate Son started playing, so I withdrew (inspired by Brave, brave Sir Robin) to try and get some (distant) photos whilst I worked out what had just taken ownership of my camp.

It looked like it was laying eggs on the pine tree my tarp is attached to, and so I feel slightly safer assuming that this is indeed a giant horntail and not an Asian hornet.

 

[slowworm]

It looks like a giant horntail, typical habitat for it. It's not an asian hornet as it's too yellow, the antennae for example are dark on the asian hornet.

 

[Chris]

Making lots of friends today.

 

[demented dale]

Would anyone be able to confirm that this is a Giant Horntail?

I heard the rapidly loudening sound of a Huey and I think Fortunate Son started playing, so I withdrew (inspired by Brave, brave Sir Robin) to try and get some (distant) photos whilst I worked out what had just taken ownership of my camp.

It looked like it was laying eggs on the pine tree my tarp is attached to, and so I feel slightly safer assuming that this is indeed a giant horntail and not an Asian hornet.

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Dunno Chris but I can tell you that there are no hornets in Ireland along with no moles, nuthatches and tawny owls and as we all know, thanks to a certain Patrick, no snakes either x

 

[Tengu]

Lots.

Common porpoises
Minke whale
Gannets
Mallard
Eider
Hoodies
Greater blackbacks
rabbit
swallow
gulimot

Im sure theres more

 

[Broch]

Would anyone be able to confirm that this is a Giant Horntail?

I heard the rapidly loudening sound of a Huey and I think Fortunate Son started playing, so I withdrew (inspired by Brave, brave Sir Robin) to try and get some (distant) photos whilst I worked out what had just taken ownership of my camp.

It looked like it was laying eggs on the pine tree my tarp is attached to, and so I feel slightly safer assuming that this is indeed a giant horntail and not an Asian hornet.

I know that as Giant Woodwasp (Urocerus gigas)

 

[grainweevil]

A Stick Insect.

Fairly sure it's an Unarmed (Acanthoxyla inermis), based on the crash course in naturalised stick insects of the UK that I've just taken. Apparently we're a bit of a hotbed for them around these parts, although never seen one before in thirty years living here. But there it was just hanging out by our front door, sitting on the granite out of the mizzle and prevailing wind. Something a bit different.

 

[slowworm]

A Stick Insect.

I've often looked for them but never seen one in our garden despite a large amount pivet about the place.

 

[slowworm]

A picture of our front garden from last night, a young barn owl landed a few foot away and spent several minutes looking about our front lawn. It's sitting on our 'bird table' logs and we get a large number of mice and voles about. We tend to get the newly fledged youngsters at this time of year, lovely to see another one.

 

[grainweevil]

I've often looked for them but never seen one in our garden despite a large amount pivet about the place.

In fairness their looking-like-a-stick game is very strong.

 

[William_Montgomery]

Any ideas on this little one? Willow warbler, possibly?

 

[Chris]

Any ideas on this little one? Willow warbler, possibly?
View attachment 97028
View attachment 97029

Could it be one of these?

https://ebird.org/species/webwar1?siteLanguage=en_GB

Edit: your suggestion looks better!

 

[forrestdweller]

about 3 months ago we had a boa getting into our chicken coop through a hole in the floor (=it's raised on stilts), we patched it but two weeks later it was back... . the owner of the farm told me i'm not allowed to have snake soup for dinner (sigh....) so i removed it (boas aren't venomous but still can bite -- wrestling a 6ft. p***ed off boa out of a coop and into a bag is fun...) and brought it to the end of the farm (over a km as the possum flies) and told it not to return; the coop was redone and reinforced afterwards
about a month ago i found our old rooster dead in the coop but no sign of an intruder nor any blood -- as he was the toughest bird i ever chewed on i presumed old age as cause of death. two weeks ago our 2nd last hen went missing from the coop -- i added some extra stones onto the roof... .this morning i woke when some sound was missing -- anyone guessing what happened to our young rooster by now?! same boa back inside and i'm still not allowed to invite it for a nice bowl of soup ( :-( ) --- this time the boa goes to the nearest national park

 

[oldtimer]

We've been watching the progress of the swallow family who nest most years on our loggia. From a distance of about one and a half metres as we sit at our table we've seen their repairs and upgrades to their ancestral home, brooding, hatching and now feeding of three chicks. Now anxious to see them safely fledge and set off back to Africa.

What a privilege to have them so close and without any fear of us.

 

[gg012]

 

[William_Montgomery]

Saw this pretty interesting looking spider today. Had a look through the book when I got home and identified it as Argiope bruennichi, commonly known as the wasp spider.

 

[gg012]

Saw this pretty interesting looking spider today. Had a look through the book when I got home and identified it as Argiope bruennichi, commonly known as the wasp spider.
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Wow! That is absolutely beautiful. Which region are you in? I have never seen one of those before

 

[Tengu]

Not me but my elderly Landlady is so excited.

She saw her first Kingfisher.

 

[William_Montgomery]

Wow! That is absolutely beautiful. Which region are you in? I have never seen one of those before

I'm in East Suffolk. Same, never seen one before.

 

[slowworm]

Tonight I saw a privet hawk moth, our largest resident moth apparently. A brief, friendly facehugger sort encounter as I was wearing a heat torch and it settled on my face. Lovely thing.