Topic: Wildlife and Natural Places

[reddebs]

Very odd. Postimage.org?

Ummm maybe try fill in the rest the way I posted it and see what happens.

I've done it!!!

[rob1966]

Debs, you need to put it in the img tags

[Chakan]

Awesome!

[reddebs]

It's not a very good pic of the flies though and if you zoom in it's even worse 😂

[Chakan]

This is maybe the best I can do to clean up the close up if that helps anyone.

[reddebs]

This is maybe the best I can do to clean up the close up if that helps anyone.

Thanks mate that looks better just need someone to recognise them now 👍

[reddebs]

We've sorted out the pond plants today and we've actually got newts and all sorts of other critters which is awesome!

[rob1966]

Los Gigantes Tenerife. Hazy background due to the sand blown in on La Calima





Sun setting over La Gomera, during (view from our bedroom at Puerto Santiago) and after La Calima (view from the pub in Callao Salvaje while we were watching the Newcastle game)





Couldn't get the phone to focus, rainbow in the sea

[reddebs]

What a thoroughly depressing stat 😟

BBC News - Non-native plants outnumber British flora, major report finds

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64842402

[liverbloke]

What a thoroughly depressing stat 😟

BBC News - Non-native plants outnumber British flora, major report finds

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64842402

i think a lot of people look at our well-known wild places - lake district moors forests national parks etc - and think that we're doing great

no no no - it's all superficial and if we don't act soon then it'll become transient too

new housing and buildings should have green roofs - in other words a roof space full of grass plants trees etc

this, as well as being good insulation, will encourage all wild life and won't be 'intrusive' to those shallow people that can't have that sort of stuff in their own garden space - they'd have nowhere to park their giant suvs and put their trampolines!

people nowadays seem to want clean straight edges and lawns that they don't have to mow (the lazy fuckers) so those outdoor spaces like back and front gardens, are either decked over or paved over - and the worst one of all: plastic-grassed over

[reddebs]

i think a lot of people look at our well-known wild places - lake district moors forests national parks etc - and think that we're doing great

no no no - it's all superficial and if we don't act soon then it'll become transient too

new housing and buildings should have green roofs - in other words a roof space full of grass plants trees etc

this, as well as being good insulation, will encourage all wild life and won't be 'intrusive' to those shallow people that can't have that sort of stuff in their own garden space - they'd have nowhere to park their giant suvs and put their trampolines!

people nowadays seem to want clean straight edges and lawns that they don't have to mow (the lazy fuckers) so those outdoor spaces like back and front gardens, are either decked over or paved over - and the worst one of all: plastic-grassed over

I'm a member of a few gardening groups and it's amazing the crap and stupidity some people say. 

Mention a bug, caterpillar, slugs or other creepy crawlies and it's a pile on of "squish it" "zap it" "spray it" etc.

These are gardeners FFS, all those critters are needed in the garden to pollinate, clean, areate the plants, soil and crops plus they bring other wildlife into the garden.

So fucking what if they nibble a cabbage leaf or two.

We also need to make sure we have native species of plants and wildflowers and like you say, stop needing everything to be perfectly neat and tidy.  Leave stuff to die down over winter to provide shelter and protection for birds, mammals and insects.

Does my head in with how controlled everything has to be for so many people.

[rob1966]

i think a lot of people look at our well-known wild places - lake district moors forests national parks etc - and think that we're doing great

no no no - it's all superficial and if we don't act soon then it'll become transient too

new housing and buildings should have green roofs - in other words a roof space full of grass plants trees etc

this, as well as being good insulation, will encourage all wild life and won't be 'intrusive' to those shallow people that can't have that sort of stuff in their own garden space - they'd have nowhere to park their giant suvs and put their trampolines!

people nowadays seem to want clean straight edges and lawns that they don't have to mow (the lazy fuckers) so those outdoor spaces like back and front gardens, are either decked over or paved over - and the worst one of all: plastic-grassed over

Guilty of that. The lad was playing footy in the garden 365 days a year and it was getting wrecked and the carpets were getting ruined, so we ripped the lawn up and had it done with artificial.

Still got loads of bushes and flowers and a front lawn though, we're the only house on our street that actually does have a front lawn.

[Elmo!]

i think a lot of people look at our well-known wild places - lake district moors forests national parks etc - and think that we're doing great

no no no - it's all superficial and if we don't act soon then it'll become transient too

Same goes for the Scottish Highlands..... people love the barren landscapes and we get thousands of tourists come to see them etc, but it's not in it's natural state, it's kept like that artificially for the grouse and the deer hunting. Most of it should be covered in trees.

[liverbloke]

Guilty of that. The lad was playing footy in the garden 365 days a year and it was getting wrecked and the carpets were getting ruined, so we ripped the lawn up and had it done with artificial.

Still got loads of bushes and flowers and a front lawn though, we're the only house on our street that actually does have a front lawn.

there are grasses you can buy and plant that can take a good beating - same as what the footy grounds and parks use - but i understand that it's not always easy when you've got kids

we've got to live alongside nature so as long as we give it some space too - as you have - then that's doing something positive

when i decided not to mow all of the front lawn some of the neighbours made comments about how untidy it looked (behind my back) - so i just put a little fence around it and now it doesn't offend the neighbours and it helps the wildlife and some of the local little kids love it because suddenly there's a 'jungle' (it's not that bad) amongst the similarly flat perfectly mown lawns

you might think 'fuck what the neighbours think' but we've all got to live together 

[rob1966]

there are grasses you can buy and plant that can take a good beating - same as what the footy grounds and parks use - but i understand that it's not always easy when you've got kids

we've got to live alongside nature so as long as we give it some space too - as you have - then that's doing something positive

when i decided not to mow all of the front lawn some of the neighbours made comments about how untidy it looked (behind my back) - so i just put a little fence around it and now it doesn't offend the neighbours and it helps the wildlife and some of the local little kids love it because suddenly there's a 'jungle' (it's not that bad) amongst the similarly flat perfectly mown lawns

you might think 'fuck what the neighbours think' but we've all got to live together 

We have big drainage problems too, the lawn floods so it turns into a swamp, so we were stuffed. Its really green where we live though, huge trees everywhere and a massive park behind the houses in front that has loads of wildlife in it, even got foxes nipping down our street of a night.

[reddebs]

there are grasses you can buy and plant that can take a good beating - same as what the footy grounds and parks use - but i understand that it's not always easy when you've got kids

we've got to live alongside nature so as long as we give it some space too - as you have - then that's doing something positive

when i decided not to mow all of the front lawn some of the neighbours made comments about how untidy it looked (behind my back) - so i just put a little fence around it and now it doesn't offend the neighbours and it helps the wildlife and some of the local little kids love it because suddenly there's a 'jungle' (it's not that bad) amongst the similarly flat perfectly mown lawns

you might think 'fuck what the neighbours think' but we've all got to live together 

At the back of where we used to live there was an rspb reserve with a lot of surrounding land also owned and managed by them. 

At certain times of the year the roadside verges and roundabouts had signs explaining they weren't being mowed to protect the rare, native orchids that grow there.

We also keep a large area of lawn unmown till at least August, where we've also created a wetland bog and pond area and planted lots of native plant species plus several tree saplings.  There'll be no pumps, filters or fish as it's as natural as it can be

I know not everyone has the size of garden we have and can't do that but a water feature no bigger than a large pan is enough to bring in wildlife.

[reddebs]

Wow Sir David has surpassed himself with Wild Isles tonight.

The starlings coming in to roost with a barn owl hunting was spectacular 😯

[Rhi]

Thanks mate that looks better just need someone to recognise them now 👍

Horse flies?

[reddebs]

Horse flies?

No I don't think so, not viscous enough looking 😟

I have another one now. 

I've found spawn in the bird bath today but it's not frogs as it's singular eggs rather than all joined up.

Anyone any ideas?

[reddebs]

We have these creatures in the pond that are now about 3" long. 

They look a bit like scorpions in that they come to the surface rear end first have quite long legs that are flat to the floor.

Any ideas what they are?

Also we appear to have what look like small fish but we've not put fish in.  They don't have a fish tail just side fins so could they be young newts even though they don't have legs?

[Crosby Nick]

Horse flies?

Pegasus?

[Chakan]

We have these creatures in the pond that are now about 3" long. 

They look a bit like scorpions in that they come to the surface rear end first have quite long legs that are flat to the floor.

Any ideas what they are?

Also we appear to have what look like small fish but we've not put fish in.  They don't have a fish tail just side fins so could they be young newts even though they don't have legs?

The first could be some sort of water bug. I'm not really sure.

The second are most probably either a newt tadpole or a frog tadpole

[reddebs]

The first could be some sort of water bug. I'm not really sure.

The second are most probably either a newt tadpole or a frog tadpole

I think it's some sort of freshwater shrimp.

Yes they're newt tadpoles and there's actually loads of them ☺️

[reddebs]

Been videoing the bluetits going in and out of the box in the hope I might catch the young fledge but nope, not yet.

Seen a leaf cutter bee carrying a leaf into a tiny hole in the stone wall, presumably it's nest.  That's a first ☺️

Also after saying we're not bothered by starlings till autumn we've had a whole family of them terrorising the other birds trying to feed 😂

[liverbloke]

We have these creatures in the pond that are now about 3" long. 

They look a bit like scorpions in that they come to the surface rear end first have quite long legs that are flat to the floor.

Any ideas what they are?

Also we appear to have what look like small fish but we've not put fish in.  They don't have a fish tail just side fins so could they be young newts even though they don't have legs?

sounds like water beetle larvae

they breathe, well basically, through their rear ends

they're real hard knock predators - seeing as there's so much other wildlife in there then they'll be filling their boots

[reddebs]

sounds like water beetle larvae

they breathe, well basically, through their rear ends

they're real hard knock predators - seeing as there's so much other wildlife in there then they'll be filling their boots

Well they'll have a feast now all the newts have hatched but they've tripled in size since I first spotted them a few weeks ago.

The pond is teeming with all sorts of water bugs now.

Just checked and it's the larvae of the great diving beetle 👍

[farawayred]

Hey, any Canadians on here? Just came back from backpacking with my daughter in Tonquin Valley in Jasper, what a magical place! The mosquitos were a bit of a menace this time of the year, but the beauty is magical!

We saw a bunch of woodland caribous, rabbits, rodents and a black bear eating buffalo berries but, unfortunately, didn't see a grizzly.

[Titi Camara]

Holy fuck. Pretty certain I stayed in the high rise hotel in this shot, about 30 odd years ago

[Crosby Nick]

Holy fuck. Pretty certain I stayed in the high rise hotel in this shot, about 30 odd years ago

Gigantic. Gigantic. A big big love.

[Crosby Nick]

Out for an early morning walk in Northern Ireland and saw a pod of around 6-8 dolphins swimming across the bay. Absolutely no one around to see it apart from me and a cormorant sunning itself on the rocks.

[John C]

This waterlands podcast might be of interest to some.
https://podfollow.com/1639907069/view

Immerse yourself in the sounds of the riverbank, crashing tides, wild marshes filled with birds and the underwater sounds of the humble pond as we bring to life our incredible wetlands - and reveal their power to shape our future for the better. Join zoologist and wildlife presenter Megan McCubbin as she explores the wonders of our watery worlds and how wetlands have fed, inspired and transported us from countryside to city, source to sea. Our wetlands bring us together across species and continents. They’re the source of life as we know it. Yet wetlands only cover about 6% of our planet, and they’re disappearing fast, despite the fact that people and 40% of all wildlife are reliant on them. This is a podcast all about the wonderful, sometimes surprising and often underappreciated watery places around us, and how they can help us with some of the biggest issues facing life on this planet. ​ You’ll never look at a marsh or pond the same way again.

[jillcwhomever]

I will have a listen to that later on John, thanks for that. 

[reddebs]

It's been fascinating watching a beautiful Southern Hawker Dragonfly round the pond today.

Hour after hour of what looked like egg laying but can't be sure though it'll fabulous if that's what it was 😁

We've had so much wildlife in the garden, especially round the pond but this is the first time a dragonfly has visited 👌

[Nitramdorf]

Some lovely pics of birds here

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-66706149

[kellan]

Had a yellow and black thing with wings land on the garden table earlier. It sparked quite a debate over whether it was a wasp, bee or fly. We've settled on it being a hover fly of some description. Never seen one before. But I'm thinking that's what I keep noticing going mad for the neighbour's tree. Whole swarm (that's probably not the right word) of them out there daily.

Google tells me they don't bite, though, so something else in the garden is responsible for two of us being on antibiotics right now. They were saying at the walk in that they're getting people in every day with nasty bites.

[jillcwhomever]

Uproar in Northumberland as someone has cut down the tree on Hadrian's Wall the Sycamore Gap. Disgusting that someone would just chop something down like that for next to no reason, when its a spot that means a good deal to a lot of people. This country is wrecked, the police are looking into it. Once again, it feels like the natural world is under attack. 

[rob1966]

Had a yellow and black thing with wings land on the garden table earlier. It sparked quite a debate over whether it was a wasp, bee or fly. We've settled on it being a hover fly of some description. Never seen one before. But I'm thinking that's what I keep noticing going mad for the neighbour's tree. Whole swarm (that's probably not the right word) of them out there daily.

Google tells me they don't bite, though, so something else in the garden is responsible for two of us being on antibiotics right now. They were saying at the walk in that they're getting people in every day with nasty bites.

I've twice been bitten by a horsefly around this time of the year, first one on the middle finger and the second on the leg, both times the affected area swelled up like a balloon and ended up on antibiotics both times.

Is this the thing you've been seeing? Syrphid or Hover fly, they don't bite or sting

[reddebs]

Uproar in Northumberland as someone has cut down the tree on Hadrian's Wall the Sycamore Gap. Disgusting that someone would just chop something down like that for next to no reason, when its a spot that means a good deal to a lot of people. This country is wrecked, the police are looking into it. Once again, it feels like the natural world is under attack. 

Disgusting isn't it Jill. 

What kind of sad fuck must you be to decide to take a chain saw to somewhere like that and destroy an iconic landmark tree?

As you say, the country is wrecked 😕

[jillcwhomever]

Disgusting isn't it Jill. 

What kind of sad fuck must you be to decide to take a chain saw to somewhere like that and destroy an iconic landmark tree?

As you say, the country is wrecked 😕

Absolutely Debs, makes you despair. Some people had put their relatives ashes around the tree and someone has rode rough shot over it.

[reddebs]

Absolutely Debs, makes you despair. Some people had put their relatives ashes around the tree and someone has rode rough shot over it.

I've never understood the 'just for the hell of it' willful destruction of plants and trees. 

It makes absolutely no sense to me to destroy something that effortlessly improves all our lives just because 🤷

I'm heartbroken this morning to see a lot of my decaying, fallen willow has succumbed to last night's storm and split off from the main trunk. 

It's my wonderful, natural bug hotel that houses so many overwintering insects as well as feeding others, including the woodpeckers and other birds.