Oh really? I seemed to only find panicking panicking Americans who instantly declared that no bat would ever come inside unless sick and you must rush out and get rabies shots. Anyway the/a bat was, well, batting around outside my window last night, so decided the trickle vent setting was a prudent choice.
What wildlife did you spot today?
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I saw a little gecko on the wall last night and this morning found it in the bathroom.
It ran onto my foot, up my leg and body then behind my ear.
SWMBO got a picture of it.
I went outside and got it to move to the fly screen on the window, where I got a couple of pictures.
I think that it's a young T̶a̶r̶e̶n̶t̶o̶l̶a̶ ̶m̶a̶u̶r̶i̶t̶a̶n̶i̶c̶a̶. I've been informed that it's more likely to be a young Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean house gecko).
Concerned that it would be easy prey for a bird, I caught it again and put it in one of the run-off holes on the balcony.
It ran onto my foot, up my leg and body then behind my ear.
SWMBO got a picture of it.
I went outside and got it to move to the fly screen on the window, where I got a couple of pictures.
I think that it's a young T̶a̶r̶e̶n̶t̶o̶l̶a̶ ̶m̶a̶u̶r̶i̶t̶a̶n̶i̶c̶a̶. I've been informed that it's more likely to be a young Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean house gecko).
Concerned that it would be easy prey for a bird, I caught it again and put it in one of the run-off holes on the balcony.
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I've had a little 'helper' these last few days helping me stack a pile of lose logs.
Pretty sure we had an Osprey circling the house this morning. Managed to get the binoculars on it just in time.
Devil’s Coach Horse Beetle. Poor photo of it but it was on the move and about to scuttle under a shed.
Seems I have sort of adopted a couple of young seagulls since seeing a couple of them acting kinda odd on the ground to discern they needed water to have been putting out a bowl of water since for the two young uns to always turn up at the same time.
If am going to adopt an avian I would rather it be a corvid, but it would seem they know how to keep out of the heat
If am going to adopt an avian I would rather it be a corvid, but it would seem they know how to keep out of the heat
More so than usual, do you think?
Wondered if it might have something to do with a prolonged dry period.
Possibly, but I am very careful about generalising on such observations. For example are there more subterranean wasps nests this year because it was too hot? Some of our hanging wasps nests have definitely been vacated. Perhaps @PoppyD can advise us? Or, are badgers having difficulty finding one of their main food sources (worms) so are prepared to risk a more difficult meal?
There is definitely some strange feeding behaviour this year - we have grey squirrels scrabbling in the middle of dry fields out in the open (and, no, they are not burying acorns) and we have pigmy shrews entering buildings looking for invertebrates.
One thing I know, wildlife has not read the text books we have written and are always capable of surprising us
There is definitely some strange feeding behaviour this year - we have grey squirrels scrabbling in the middle of dry fields out in the open (and, no, they are not burying acorns) and we have pigmy shrews entering buildings looking for invertebrates.
One thing I know, wildlife has not read the text books we have written and are always capable of surprising us
Badgers usually leave wasps nests until they are at their most full and productive peak. Which is August. They find them earlier in the year, but generally wait for this time. It is when the adults are normally at their biggest as well, and the grubs prolific. They are still small very this year and about the size you find them in the spring. But the evidence supports the badgers usual prey of earthworms being hard to find and so they are going after other food sources. Wasps nests being one of the main ones. So far there isn’t any evidence that points to more subterranean nests than usual.
Don't remember ever being able to get so close to a roe deer
Started making sounds becaus I thought he might be sick... guess not
Started making sounds becaus I thought he might be sick... guess not
We get a lot of copper underwings here at the moment. They vary a lot between dark, almost black, through to a pale ash grey. I thought this one spotted last night was a particularly handsome one.
Not sure on this one. At first I thought vapourer, but I think vapourers (females) are completely wingless, whereas this one seems to just have very small wings.
Not at home, so can't check the books.
Any ideas?
Not at home, so can't check the books.
Any ideas?
Could be one of the Eggar or fox moths. Maybe a female drinker, the wings look under developed to me. But these SBJs I find a nightmare to ID.
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Possibly a female drinker, although it was quite small, only about 15-20mm.
Just curious, what features made you think a female drinker?
