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6 minutes ago, tropicbreeze said:

Another stinging caterpillar, only these are savagely so.

Different family of moth again, some of the species get very gaudy colours and patterns. They're collectively called Slug Caterpillar Moths.

If you get about out bush in the wet season with shorts on you're bound to make their acquaintance. They feed on Cocky Apple, Planchonia careya, which often growns short and bushy, just around bare leg height.

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We have similar species in this group here in the states, primarily back east/ in the south..  and yes, lol.. leave them alone. Have to be careful when trimming palms in some areas like Florida.

  Could be worse i guess, at least we don't have Lonomia obliqua aka the most dangerous caterpillar in the world.. Venom in the spines -which detach easily when brushed against or handled-  kills a few people in southern Brazil each year.  On the flip side, that toxic venom is currently being studied for potential medical benefits.

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The Aussie 'Itchy Grub' ( processional caterpillar ) in action at Cape Lambert, WA. A favourite  ( drunken after work ) pastime in the construction camp was to slowly turn the leader of the line right around until he sensed the tail end charlie, then they would just go round and round in an endless circle. Used to keep us amused for hours....haha.
Oh, and it seems I'm immune to the stings, too....

 

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Female Common/Varied Eggfly butterfly (Hypolimnas bolina). Males are dark, no brown and have white round patches on their wings
The quality of the vid is a bit ordinary.... had to have the camera phone on 'close up' as this guy did not want to be filmed.... lol 
 

Edited by greysrigging
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I know very little about moths. I snapped this low quality photo of this stunning specimen before transplanting much further away from my vegetable bed. I’ve been searching for him for some time now. 

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That 'horn' on its tail is common to Hawk Moth larvae. Yours is called Tomato Hornworm, much easier than its scientific name Manduca quinquemaculata.

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On 7/30/2020 at 5:56 AM, greysrigging said:

The Aussie 'Itchy Grub' ( processional caterpillar ) in action at Cape Lambert, WA. A favourite  ( drunken after work ) pastime in the construction camp was to slowly turn the leader of the line right around until he sensed the tail end charlie, then they would just go round and round in an endless circle. Used to keep us amused for hours....haha.
 

We used to do exactly the same thing with them! Lol

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On 7/30/2020 at 9:17 PM, RyManUtah said:

I know very little about moths. I snapped this low quality photo of this stunning specimen before transplanting much further away from my vegetable bed. I’ve been searching for him for some time now. 

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Yep.. lol  that will eat a tomato plant overnight.  At least you are nice about it and move him.... I picked them off at one point and fed them to a cichlid when I had a fish tank. They really like them.  We call them hummingbird moths I think if thats the same kind.  I sort of am repenting right now.

 

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On 7/29/2020 at 2:56 PM, greysrigging said:

The Aussie 'Itchy Grub' ( processional caterpillar ) in action at Cape Lambert, WA. A favourite  ( drunken after work ) pastime in the construction camp was to slowly turn the leader of the line right around until he sensed the tail end charlie, then they would just go round and round in an endless circle. Used to keep us amused for hours....haha.
Oh, and it seems I'm immune to the stings, too....

 

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I swear... are you sure Australia isnt on another planet... most of your crawlies give me the heebie geebies..

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Haha.... this is the one that really puts the wind up me.... had a few 'experiences' with 'em over the years....


 

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I got washed off that crossing. Had to dive under the car to attach a rope to it. Long story though, but I had workmates there with .308's. Not sure if the .308's were for the crocs, or to give me a quick end. :(

The crocs like that causeway. Fish making their way upstream have to go through the shallow water on the crossing to where the crocs are waiting with mouth open. When they feel the fish brush by they snap. Sometimes you'll see a fish flip up into the air, sometimes you'll see the croc contendedly chewing away.


"A captain never leaves his sinking ship."

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On 8/5/2020 at 4:09 PM, tropicbreeze said:

I got washed off that crossing. Had to dive under the car to attach a rope to it. Long story though, but I had workmates there with .308's. Not sure if the .308's were for the crocs, or to give me a quick end. :(

The crocs like that causeway. Fish making their way upstream have to go through the shallow water on the crossing to where the crocs are waiting with mouth open. When they feel the fish brush by they snap. Sometimes you'll see a fish flip up into the air, sometimes you'll see the croc contendedly chewing away.


"A captain never leaves his sinking ship."

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I've seen some nice barra caught at the crossing there, unfortunately none of them were ever attached to my line.

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  • 3 weeks later...

"Mum, we're just going down to the jetty for a fish.... ", said no kid ever at Pirlangimpi, Melville Island.....
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  • 4 weeks later...

They say "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery". But there are other reasons for imitation. Like Batesian mimicry where some more palatable creatures adopt the appearance or behaviour of less palatable or aggressive species. Many Katydids of the Family Tettigoniidae fall into this category, particularly in the young (nymph) stage of their lives.

This Katydid nymph has the appearance of a Green Tree Ant, Oecophylla smaragdina. Its abdomen doesn't quite have the same bulbous shape of the ant's abdomen but the white colour on the side helps give that appearance. Body length is approximately 12mm, similar to the ant's size, however the antennae are about 2.25 times the body length, way out of proportion to that of the ant. The different colour of the distal part of the antennae compensates for that.

Interestingly enough, years ago I found a spider in the garden which also mimics the Green Tree Ant. Unfortunately didn't have the good camera with me and the photos didn't come out well. Haven't noticed any more since, but no doubt they'll be there "hiding in plain sight".

There's a couple of these Katydids on my Buchanania arborescens that appear to be feeding on pollen. Many of the flowers have been chewed away but haven't seen the Katydids actually doing that. I'm going to keep an eye on these and hopefully see them through to maturity when I should be able to get an ID. As they grow larger they lose the mimicry and depend on their colour for camouflage.

So, next time you see a Green Ant, look more closely. It might actually be an impostor.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Cooler weather is upon us. Can you spot someone resting on the Opuntia? 

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On 10/4/2020 at 11:24 PM, RyManUtah said:

Cooler weather is upon us. Can you spot someone resting on the Opuntia? 

86F134AF-3A85-46AB-BB9C-180A02FD9921.thumb.jpeg.4ec43c8f67b9fb80693d7f4d7886fae1.jpeg

Two good reasons to not put a hand on a cactus.

 

14 hours ago, greysrigging said:

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I hope those spannerlings don't have a nut allergy.  :floor2:

Edited by tropicbreeze
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Sorry for the poor quality pics. The Joe Blake here didn't really want to co operate with the camera....slightest movement on my part spooked him/her. And I was looking into the afternoon sun....
Golden Tree Snake Dendrelaphis punctulata, tan to golden yellow, darker top with lighter underbelly, lighter markings along body, slate grey to bluish head and ...
First time I've spotted one in my yard.

Ps....I'm happy to share the garden with our native critters
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1 hour ago, greysrigging said:

Sorry for the poor quality pics. The Joe Blake here didn't really want to co operate with the camera....slightest movement on my part spooked him/her. And I was looking into the afternoon sun....
Golden Tree Snake Dendrelaphis punctulata, tan to golden yellow, darker top with lighter underbelly, lighter markings along body, slate grey to bluish head and ...
First time I've spotted one in my yard.

Ps....I'm happy to share the garden with our native critters
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They're great little snakes!

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6 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Sorry for the poor quality pics. The Joe Blake here didn't really want to co operate with the camera....slightest movement on my part spooked him/her. And I was looking into the afternoon sun....
Golden Tree Snake Dendrelaphis punctulata, tan to golden yellow, darker top with lighter underbelly, lighter markings along body, slate grey to bluish head and ...
First time I've spotted one in my yard.

Ps....I'm happy to share the garden with our native critters

I get a lot of these at my place, used to get more before the cane toads turned up. They're a daytime snake, extremely agile and swift. When they're going up a tree it looks more like they're 'levitating' rather than gripping the tree. There's a bit of colour variation. I've noticed those in central Arnhem Land tend to have a more golden colour than the ones here.

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Just caught this little gecko in my yard. Looks like he hatched this year. 

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"it's not dead it's sleeping"

Santee ca, zone10a/9b

18 miles from the ocean

avg. winter 68/40.avg summer 88/64.records 113/25

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  • 3 weeks later...

A bird playing possum? Disturbed this little fella in my fairly large backyard. While the parents were trying to distract me by fluttering around as though injured the little bloke went to ground. It stayed like that for ages whilst not too far away the parents made a soft intermittent call, apparently a signal to "keep your head down and don't move".

These are Bush Stone Curlew, a night bird with a loud, mournful, high pitched wailing call. With a group of them together it becomes quite a performance, each one trying to out do the others. The indigenous people where I lived in Arnhem Land believed they cavorted with malignant night spirits. But closer this way the belief seems to be that they bring news of death, which makes some people fear them. I quite like the ruckass they make throughout the night.

A while back the Twitchers got a bit twitchy about the name Bush Stone CURLEW, saying the Curlew is a different unrelated bird. So they coined the name Bush Thick-knee. However, it seems everyone has gone back to Bush Stone Curlew again, although both names still crop up.

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We have a similar type of bird here in the U.S. called Killdeer, or Charadrius vociferus whose young are colored similarly and can be found quite a distance from permanent sources of water where most Plover-type birds seldom stray from. Adults will hobble around like they have a broken wing and call chaotically whenever something or someone approaches a nest.  Stumbled upon several chicks in a seldom used corral as a kid. Was surprised how well they blended into their surroundings when crouched low to the ground to avoid being seen. Chicks of some other native Sandpipers/Plovers which nest near beaches also blend in with their environment as well.

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2 hours ago, tropicbreeze said:

A bird playing possum? Disturbed this little fella in my fairly large backyard. While the parents were trying to distract me by fluttering around as though injured the little bloke went to ground. It stayed like that for ages whilst not too far away the parents made a soft intermittent call, apparently a signal to "keep your head down and don't move".

These are Bush Stone Curlew, a night bird with a loud, mournful, high pitched wailing call. With a group of them together it becomes quite a performance, each one trying to out do the others. The indigenous people where I lived in Arnhem Land believed they cavorted with malignant night spirits. But closer this way the belief seems to be that they bring news of death, which makes some people fear them. I quite like the ruckass they make throughout the night.

A while back the Twitchers got a bit twitchy about the name Bush Stone CURLEW, saying the Curlew is a different unrelated bird. So they coined the name Bush Thick-knee. However, it seems everyone has gone back to Bush Stone Curlew again, although both names still crop up.

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I know them simply as bush Curlew. There is a mated pair living in the park near my house, they serenade me most nights with their mournful calls. The female lays 2 eggs in a nest scrape on the ground, usually at the foot of a tree, and from my observations both birds care for the eggs. On a few of my demolition jobs over the years, I've had to fence off the nest site to protect the eggs and chicks ( same as Plovers )
I think this is the female bird on sitting on the eggs. They do camouflage very well..
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On 10/26/2020 at 1:34 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

We have a similar type of bird here in the U.S. called Killdeer, or Charadrius vociferus whose young are colored similarly and can be found quite a distance from permanent sources of water where most Plover-type birds seldom stray from. Adults will hobble around like they have a broken wing and call chaotically whenever something or someone approaches a nest.  Stumbled upon several chicks in a seldom used corral as a kid. Was surprised how well they blended into their surroundings when crouched low to the ground to avoid being seen. Chicks of some other native Sandpipers/Plovers which nest near beaches also blend in with their environment as well.

The "old broken wing trick" is popular amongst birds. Ground birds being so vulnerable need as many tricks as they can muster.

 

22 hours ago, greysrigging said:

I know them simply as bush Curlew. There is a mated pair living in the park near my house, they serenade me most nights with their mournful calls. The female lays 2 eggs in a nest scrape on the ground, usually at the foot of a tree, and from my observations both birds care for the eggs. On a few of my demolition jobs over the years, I've had to fence off the nest site to protect the eggs and chicks ( same as Plovers )
I think this is the female bird on sitting on the eggs. They do camouflage very well..

I've made recordings of their calls so can listen to them any time. Pretty sure 2 eggs are normal. Last year I managed a photo of two chicks in my backyard at night. They didn't go to ground but their parents were going quite 'hysterical' close by.

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40 minutes ago, tropicbreeze said:

I've made recordings of their calls so can listen to them any time. Pretty sure 2 eggs are normal. Last year I managed a photo of two chicks in my backyard at night. They didn't go to ground but their parents were going quite 'hysterical' close by.

Also the parent birds will approach you giving the old 'death stare'..... never fazed me though, I was used to it from my ex missus....lol

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  • 2 months later...

A couple of bird photos from my new rental...at least there is *some* wildlife here LOL

 

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Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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  • 1 month later...

One of two Med. Geckos i found roaming around the yard today.. Out a tad earlier than usual ( or just stealthy enough to have gone un-noticed before this time of year, lol )

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25 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

One of two Med. Geckos i found roaming around the yard today.. Out a tad earlier than usual ( or just stealthy enough to have gone un-noticed before this time of year, lol )

Love these voracious little bug eaters.

Edited by amh
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3 minutes ago, amh said:

Love these voracious little bug eaters.

Had one that would repeatedly sit on the welcome mat just outside the back door then run off each time someone turned on the porch light /opened the door last summer/fall. See then scurrying around the roof of the patio most of the time. 

Our native Desert Spiny Lizards ( don't have any here at the house unfortunately ) can be taught to " come to dinner " and eat out of hand.  Some videos on Youtube.

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7 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Had one that would repeatedly sit on the welcome mat just outside the back door then run off each time someone turned on the porch light /opened the door last summer/fall. See then scurrying around the roof of the patio most of the time. 

Our native Desert Spiny Lizards ( don't have any here at the house unfortunately ) can be taught to " come to dinner " and eat out of hand.  Some videos on Youtube.

Ive had the geckos tame down, but I dont think the would eat out of my hand. I may attempt hand feeding of ground skinks some day.

My experience is that the Texas spiny lizards aren't too social.

Edited by amh
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1 minute ago, amh said:

Ive had the geckos tame down, but I dont think the would eat out of my hand. I may attempt hand feeding of ground skinks some day.

Brown Anoles ( if they've reached your part of Texas. Pioneering new territory pretty much everywhere else ) will almost eat out of hand.. Used to offer a plate of beetles i'd catch to the ones that hung around my  apartment in FL. every few days.  would have 6-11 show up / fight their way to the bugs within a minute or two. 

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2 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Brown Anoles ( if they've reached your part of Texas. Pioneering new territory pretty much everywhere else ) will almost eat out of hand.. Used to offer a plate of beetles i'd catch to the ones that hung around my  apartment in FL. every few days.  would have 6-11 show up / fight their way to the bugs within a minute or two. 

Cool, the Green Anoles here are very picky eaters.

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4 minutes ago, amh said:

Cool, the Green Anoles here are very picky eaters.

Thinking i put a link somewhere here but in FL. where there was a lot of concern Brown ( aka Bahaman ) Anoles were displacing Greens more research found the Greens were reverting to a more arboreal lifestyle..  meaning there shouldn't be as big of an impact overall on green Anoles.. at least is the thought by that research.  Regardless, i'd see a few greens around despite an overwhelming presence of browns.  Both are establishing themselves out in CA.  Bigger Lizards/ Wading Birds, Shrikes.. and snakes like King, Gopher, and Garter Snakes will likely keep the browns in check out there.

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1 minute ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Thinking i put a link somewhere here but in FL. where there was a lot of concern Brown ( aka Bahaman ) Anoles were displacing Greens more research found the Greens were reverting to a more arboreal lifestyle..  meaning there shouldn't be as big of an impact overall on green Anoles.. at least is the thought by that research.  Regardless, i'd see a few greens around despite an overwhelming presence of browns.  Both are establishing themselves out in CA.  Bigger Lizards/ Wading Birds, Shrikes.. and snakes like King, Gopher, and Garter Snakes will likely keep the browns in check out there.

The greens seem to prefer yuccas and crape myrtle here, Ive never seen them on the ground for any reason but escape. I haven't seen brown anoles in my area, but they are likely in San Antonio.

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5 minutes ago, amh said:

The greens seem to prefer yuccas and crape myrtle here, Ive never seen them on the ground for any reason but escape. I haven't seen brown anoles in my area, but they are likely in San Antonio.

Wouldn't doubt it.. Was surprised to see them ( Brown Anole ) in a couple nurseries here in town ..before observations were posted to iNaturalist.   Not sure how well they'll be able to establish themselves here though.. Might have a better chance in Tucson.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Check out the amazing Golden Orb Weaver spider  ( yes I did walk into the web and managed a break dancing exhibition much to the amusement of my son )
Look closely at the pics, you can see a tiny passenger being carried....thats the male spider ! 

 

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