nature notes

Shame you didn't see any Vultures.

According to my book, grasshoppers rub their wings together, crickets rub their hind legs together to make a sound. Grasshoppers have their ears in their abdomens, crickets on their legs.

I always think herons are quite impressive as they stand there, and they are nicely marked
 
Found this wandering along the lawn this morning, rather nice Elephant hawk-Moth caterpillar

Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar.jpg
 
We were waiting for HMS Albion, Argyll and Magpie to come up river on Saturday and we had this little Wheatear stopping for a fuel break on her way South and a rather splendid Wasp SpiderIMG_0027 (2).JPGWheatear.JPG
 
Not the best photo, but you can just see at the top of the web the little white zig zag tension line they make from the top of the web downwards. Unique to them I believe, they also make a nest for the eggs which looks exactly like a Greek/Roman amphora. Will see if we can find one
 
BYM's wasp spider was on Autumnwatch last night, on BBC2. Fascinating!
 
Driving home this evening about 7pm the headlights picked up something on the road - a beautiful stag standing quite still. Fortunately both I and the car behind me were able to stop safely so it didn't panic and just made off into the woods on one side.
 
Amazing aren't they wasp spiders.
It's lovely to see a stag like that we came across one early morning in a clearing, real Monarch of the Glen. Glad he was able to walk away from the road safely. Nice experience to have on the way home.
A friend of our neighbour's is the local marksman who the police/ call if a deer has been badly injured and needs to be put down, luckily he doesn't get called on that often. But if he does get called he is allowed to take the animal for meat, so we have had the odd joint or steak
 
How lucky for you, Margaid, I think its magical to see a hind or a stag, but particularly a stag, I've only ever glimpsed one through the trees, although my mother's vehicle once had one land on it, after leaping a hedge. Plenty of damage but no loss of life. Many years ago OH found an injured deer on the road with a broken leg. He called our vet to put it down but by the time he arrived the venison had disappeared!

My recent observations have been a preying mantis tapping on the window as though to come in - bit scary - and several cabbage whites mating. I presume the males hover and the females spread their wings on the ground. In the summer we saw about 20-30 females, very well camoflagued on pale stones on a dry river bed, with a couple of males flying over them. You wouldn't have known the females were there until they moved. In its way, that was magical, a quiet scene in the middle of nowhere.
 
Looks like one of the crab spider species.
We get quite a few Muntjac and fallow deer. The best news recently is a river near us has had otters in it. OH had changed from wanting to see an Osprey munching on one of the carp from the lake to an otter munching on one.
 
I don't think I've mentioned it before, but the most recent wildlife spots have been hornets nests! Apparently there are 4 in the next village - 2 of them are about 0.5km away from us, and resemble a rugby ball about a foot in length, suspended about 10-15ft up in a tree. Locals are saying they are Asiatic hornets, but I'm not sure, the European hornet is pretty enormous. They are going to be destroyed. It is also time for the nests of processionary caterpillars to be destroyed as well, there seem to be lots and lots of them around this year, suspended in pine trees. It may be because its been so hot and dry this January, dangerously so.
 
Wonderful photo essay about polar bears moving in to an abandoned Arctic weather station.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/31/polar-bears-move-into-abandoned-arctic-weather-station-photo-essay
 
I read about that- well done, those bears! Recycling unwanted stuff! [emoji23]

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