The Wildlife (and Gardening for Wildlife) thread

[elsiegee40]

My daughter is an ecologist and owns small mammal traps for research purposes. One of the first requests I got from her after she moved to her flat was for me to post her traps up as she had a mouse in her bedroom. She does live in old house, but she couldn’t be sure it hadn’t smuggled its way into her flat via a work backpack that she used onsite and had mouse chew holes in it.

 

She caught the mouse, decided it wasn’t a stowaway from work and was a feature of the 200 year old building her flat was in, and released it miles from where she lives.

Edited July 28, 2021 by elsiegee40

[6Foot2]

Link 1:

[Picture Tweet]

 

I got tired of forgetting a ruler…

 

#wildlifebiologist #animaltracking #newtattoo

 

 

Link 2:

 

The marks are in centimetres and the scale circle is 2cm in diameter.

[elsiegee40]

Link 1:

[Picture Tweet]

 

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]62730[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]62731[/ATTACH]

 

Link 2:

 

My ecologist daughter sent me that photo a few days ago. Much as she loses things and drops things regularly she has decided she doesn’t want this handy tattoo

[6Foot2]

The public are being asked to suggest a name for an axolotl.

 

Link: Name our axolotl | The Story Museum

 

 

...HELP US NAME OUR AXOLOTL

 

Now we need your help to find the perfect name our new team member!..

 

Axolotl McAxolotlFace, anyone?..

 

[6Foot2]

Link: Rare moth 'at risk of extinction' from planned Maple Cross development, wildlife trust warns - HertsLive

 

 

Arare moth is "at risk of extinction" by a planned Maple Cross development, a local wildlife trust has warned.

 

Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust are now calling for the development site - which includes plans for two warehouses - to be protected after the discovery of an endangered moth.

 

The bright-green Forester moth ( Adscita statices ) was last seen in Hertfordshire in 1976 on the Trust’s nature reserve near Aldbury Nowers, near Tring.

 

This new sighting of the moth is on land in Maple Cross which the group says is currently under threat from development, and they're calling for the site to be protected so as to safeguard the species.

 

The Forester moth was identified as a species of concern and presumed extinct in the Hertfordshire State of Nature report, published by the Trust in 2020.

 

It's also listed as a ‘species of principle importance’ in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

 

Forester moths feed on specific wildflowers and have suffered from habitat loss in recent decades.

 

The Forester takes its name from its iridescent green wings which are reminiscent of the green clothes historically worn by forest workers, with the moths relying on specific wildflowers to lay their eggs and feed their caterpillars.

 

Populations of the moth have been declining in recent years and the moth has been identified by Natural England as a focus species for the Back From The Brink project which is aimed at stopping the extinctions of critically endangered species in the UK.

 

The moth at Maple Cross was spotted by local wildlife enthusiast Martin Parr who said: “As I walked over the site, it was clear to see how important it is for insects.

 

"It is unbelievable that sites like this can be earmarked for development without even checking what wildlife they have. There is no excuse for that now, we know these are there and they must be protected."

 

The proposed development at Maple Cross for two warehouses has received objections from hundreds of local residents as well as Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, The Colne Valley Regional Park Authority and The Maple Lodge Conservation Society.

 

Matt Dodds, Planning and Biodiversity Officer at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, said: “The discovery of this incredibly rare moth carries with it the legal obligation for the Local Planning Authority to ensure that its population is not negatively affected. They must ensure that the development is compatible with the survival of the species or be in breach of their legal duty.

 

“In addition to the discovery of the Forester moth, the ecological surveys supplied by the developer show that the plant life of site meets the criteria for selection as a Local Wildlife Site, further elevating its importance in the planning system.

 

"Yet it remains under threat. If the development goes ahead as proposed it will cause the extinction of this incredibly rare species, not just in Three Rivers, but in the whole of Hertfordshire.”

 

Colin Plant, County Moth Recorder for Hertfordshire, added: “This nationally-rare moth has declined and contracted its range in Britain in the last twenty-five or so years and has become a species of conservation concern.

 

"It is now absent from much of the south-east region (including the Greater London area. Remaining populations are in Wales, North Norfolk and parts of north-east England. The caterpillar foodplant is present at Maple Cross and it is almost certain that this moth has established residency here. On this basis, the site can be regarded as having a Regional level of ecological interest in planning terms.”

 

Local residents have until August 20 to comment on the planning application, and full details of the planning application can be found by searching 21/0573/FUL here.

 

A Three Rivers District Council spokesperson said: "This new information about the moth and its implications will be considered by officers ahead of the application being taken to the Planning Committee for determination in due course.

 

"At this stage the application is still being considered and no recommendation has been made by officers. The applicant has recently been made aware via their Planning Agent."

 

A spokesperson for the applicant, BCL (Maple Cross) LLP, said: "The Local Planning Authority has informed us that further information representations have been submitted to the planning application in respect of an ecological matter. We await the receipt of this information and will be looking to review, so that we can respond in due course.

 

"We remain committed to working with all parties to bring forward the development of this employment site (already allocated within the Core Strategy) which will provide a number of significant economic and regeneration benefits and employment opportunities to the District at a time of continued economic uncertainty due to the current Covid crisis."

[6Foot2]

Link: Goose flying upside down is simply showing off, say experts | WGME

 

 

ARNHEM, Netherlands (Zenger News) — A dark gray-brown Bean goose flying upside down was snapped by an amateur photographer near the Dutch town of Arnhem.

 

The maneuver, called whiffling, is when geese roll their body upside down and twist their neck and head 180 degrees around to its normal position.

 

This aerial acrobatic resembles a falling leaf and may be used to avoid avian predators or a long, slow descent over an area where hunters for sport or food are present.

 

The behavior is seen in several species including Lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), the Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), the Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), Pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus), or the Bean goose (Anser fabalis).

 

While the photo was taken earlier this year, it has since sparked heated debate as to why geese do this. Photographer Vincent Cornelissen said he got thousands of messages and comments from people around the world asking for information about the goose flying upside down. Cornelissen shared the photo on his Facebook page for bird lovers and caught the attention of academics and more than 10,000 followers.

 

“There was even a professor from Istanbul University who edited my photo with arrows to teach his students about aerodynamics,“ he said.

 

Vincent has been fascinated with photography since he was a kid and said that even before this famous snap, taking challenging photographs of birds was a passion.

 

“I always say that to find a bird and photograph it in a special way is incredibly satisfying and relaxing,” he said.

 

But this particular shot was especially challenging.

 

“The weather was bad, so I put on my waterproofs and sat with my back against a tree looking over a lake,” he said.

 

It was then that he saw three geese and noticed that one of them was behaving strangely.

 

“I saw that one of the three had trouble flying in a straight line. He was having a hard time which I thought was because of the wind. He seemed to be struggling, so I took some pictures of him.”

 

He didn’t think much more about it until he developed the pictures.

 

“I immediately realized that I had captured something special, but at the same time, I was afraid that no one would believe me. The image looked like it was edited in Photoshop.”

 

Indeed, he received some online feedback accusing him of posting a fake picture, even though upside-down flying is actually something that is known to occur.

 

“I got a message from a Dutchman who lives in Norway and knew this phenomenon. He lives next to a lake and regularly sees geese doing this. [i found that] there is even a name for it: a whiffling goose.”...

[elsiegee40]

Proud Mum moment today as I got to release a wren that we have reared from

a newly hatched pinkie.

 

I tried to video the release, but it shot off into the undergrowth too quickly!

 

I did however get this video of it dustbathing in the bran from the mealworms this morning.

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by elsiegee40

[elsiegee40]

Cute alert: this is a baby dormouse being reared by one of the rescue team. It requires feeds every 90 minutes day and night

[6Foot2]

Link: The Big Wasp Survey – Citizen Science = Wasp Love!

 

Wasps are ecologically essential insects. Both predators and pollinators, the social wasps (those yellow and black insects that bother us at picnics) live fascinating social lives and are much undervalued, even despised. However, just like their more glamourous cousin the honeybee, wasps are suffering as we change habitats and spray insecticides.

 

The Big Wasp Survey aims to gather important scientific data to help to quantify wasp species abundance, diversity and distribution.

[mikeprice]

Link: The Big Wasp Survey – Citizen Science = Wasp Love!

 

Little story

when I was a kifd - one year I got a 'sonic blaster' gun for Christmas

basically there was a lever you puller which compressed some air

then you aimed it at a fly or wasp and pulled the trigger and a loud bang occurred - and Christmas cards fell over if within 4-5 foot

 

OK - greta Christmas present - but what to do in summer????

 

and along come wasps

 

suddenly a teenage boyhas a reason to get up in the morning in the summer holidays!!!!!

 

the poor stripey things didn;t half fly across the room if I got the aim right

 

boys are just evil basically

[elsiegee40]

Today I released a spotted flycatcher at a nature reserve in the Ashdown Forest where they are seen every summer.

 

It’s not a common bird. I have only seen one a couple of times in the wild.

 

We have reared this one from a nestling after it was caught by a cat. It got as many waxworms as it wanted before release. It has a long flight to Africa to do in about a month’s time.

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by elsiegee40

[Syman_a]

 

 

Found this little fella in the Water Meter pit this morning.

Not sure how he got there, but guess he must have crawled along the ducting from somewhere.

 

The nearest water source is 100 M away.

[stevejp]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]62868[/ATTACH]

 

 

Found this little fella in the Water Meter pit this morning.

Not sure how he got there, but guess he must have crawled along the ducting from somewhere.

 

The nearest water source is 100 M away.

 

Roll call!

[6Foot2]

Roll call!

Here!.

[LeMarchand]

Roll call!

 

Ribbit! Ribbit!

[mikeprice]

Roll call!

 

It's a bloomin' toad not a frog!!!

 

anyway - present

[stevejp]

It's a bloomin' toad not a frog!!!

 

anyway - present

 

I’d just assumed the mods were branching out a bit - they do say variety is the spice of life…

[elsiegee40]

We are on holiday in France and visited Les Baux today. Saw little variety, but the quality…

 

House sparrows, a magpie (boring) then loads of Black Redstarts, a pied flycatcher and high up in the ruins a nest containing the most adorable baby crag martin

 

On the way back to the car I rescued a praying mantis from the middle of the road. It ran up my arm and settled on my back. When I put my hand on a wall, it ran back down my arm

 

And then we saw a red squirrel running over the road!

[Andrew_C]

Now, that's not something that visits every evening... (Though we do hear quite a lot)

[LeMarchand]

Wol... Wake on lawn?

[elsiegee40]

Now, that's not something that visits every evening... (Though we do hear quite a lot)

 

Woah! Tawny Owl! With a hedgehog! Jealous!

[elsiegee40]

Mouse rescued from printer! Literally!

 

This is the four legged furry variety and my rescue did have to dismantle the printer which will print no more.

 

We see a fair few number of rescues here at Folly but this is one of the most unusual ones - a little mouse trapped by a back leg inside a printer!

 

After trying without success to unscrew the case we finally had to resort to sawing it in half.

 

This must have been very stressful but within a couple of minutes we had him free.

 

After a well deserved drink of rehydration fluid he was put to bed to hopefully sleep off his ordeal.

 

Sadly though the printer didn’t survive!

 

https://www.facebook.com/19281828468/posts/10159697002928469/

 

It’s a House Mouse by the way

[tg12]

Good, one less printer in the wild. Glad the mouse is out though!

[Andrew_C]

One of my daughter's pet rats got into the printer. Nibbled through the registration ribbon before being coaxed out. Super-glue and a bit of transparent plastic film kept it going for a few years.

[elsiegee40]

This is Chunk, our biggest hedgehog visitor. Going by hedgehogs we have at the rescue, he weighs at least 1.2 kg. We consider 600g to be a healthy hibernation weight.

 

He is now starting to find the bend in the feed station entrance a bit of a squeeze

 

Hedgehogs aren’t particularly fond of eating slugs usually; they prefer worms and beetles. Chunk however isn’t going to turn down any snack that he happens to come across.