Birding In Staffordshire (108 Viewers)

[Adam M]

A few pics from today. Any help in an ID on the caterpillars would be helpful.

i've had a good look in my collins guide and i don't think they are in there, might be worth posting them elsewhere to get some expert insight on them. i want to know what they are now, damn curiosity, i'll keep googling away i guess.

adam

 

[carlj]

....you should have come over for a chat.


A few pics from today. Any help in an ID on the caterpillars would be helpful.

Except with the camo, you kept disappearing :king:

Adam, you stopped short mate. They ain't caterpillars. Them's croesus septentrionalis larvae! (pg 322) for left hand. Hairy is a mystery - nearest I can find is the Sycamore moth...

Carl

 

[Adam M]

Except with the camo, you kept disappearing :king:

Adam, you stopped short mate. They ain't caterpillars. Them's croesus septentrionalis larvae! (pg 322) for left hand. Hairy is a mystery - nearest I can find is the Sycamore moth...

Carl

mine has'nt got them in with a desciption, just a photo in the intro when its on about them using odour as a defence.

i thought sycamore for the hairy one, but the photos i have seen look more orange and with a distinct pattern on its body, might just be that neils photo is from a different angle and in different light.

 

[Neil-T]

Thanks for the replies guys, I also looked through my books and the "caterpillars/larvae" on the leaf were a mystery to me too. The hairy one was quite large, around one and a half inches.

 

[Neil-T]

Just had a quick look on the net for an ID on the hairy geezer, I think it's a Buff Ermine or a Ruby Tiger.
Look here.http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...r&gbv=2&ndsp=21&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&start=105

 

[dwe]

They are Birch Sawfly larvae

Dave E

 

[Neil-T]

Thanks Dave, they seem quite big for sawfly larvae, thet were around 1inch long. Cheers. Neil.

 

[paulthomas]

Hi Paul

You and I might share the same Sprawks ! We're just off Darnford Lane and regularly (certainly once or twice a week) have both male and female birds swooping down towards our seed-feeders. This year I've only had to scoop up the proverbial pile of left-behind feathers two or three times though and after another unsuccessful mission the other day, a male shot off over the fence and perched for a few minutes on top of the children's-trampoline safety-net in next door's garden - yet to do any somersaults though !

Cheers

Andy

I'm more over towards Capper's Lane so probably only about 1/2 a mile from you tops. It's almost always the female I see around here (plus the odd tell-tale pile of feathers). I used to see the male regularly a few years ago. He used to perch on a neighbour's roof until the crows got fed up and drove him away.

 

[matt4scfc]

Westport lake

Called in on Westport Lake for an hour this afternoon to have another look at the Ring-necked duck, looking a little bit smarter these days!
Also of note:-
wigeon
pochard
and a nice little dabchick!

Matt.

 

[Rockbirder]

25/9/09 Utch 1600-1830.

Garganey 1
Green Sand' 2
Pintail 1
Wigeon 1
Teal c35
Rob Jones 1 (BF LIFER !)

Andy.

 

[Neil-T]

Things picking up in the garden, good numbers of tit's in a tit flock including LTT and Coal tits. 25+ goldfinches, robin, wren, chaffies, dunnocks with a sparrowhawk through about 15 mins ago.

 

[minkstone]

Just had a grey wag in the the bird bath in my back yard.
http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr242/pheobe47/200909261221502.jpg

 

[Adam M]

goldfinch numbers up to 10 in my garden, starling flock up to 300+ (thats locally not in my garden) and i got a new garden tick in the form of a jay today.

 

[terryeyre]

three snipe on mud in farm pond above dimmingsdale

 

[bull's birder]

A dozen Crossbills of the Firetrack Gang showing well this afternoon but no sign of Rosie at Tittensor but did meet Alan who discovered her in his garden. Best sighting of the day was two Spitfires over!!!

Cheers
Craig

 

[Moulty]

Hanchurch Woods 8.00 - 10.00

Hi All,

Next field along from Helicopter Field, lots of Pheasants, W/Pigeon,couple of Stock Doves and Corvids plus 5 Yellow Hammer.

Fire Track - First group of tree's after the clearing on the right, dozen Crossbill, plus Nuthatch, Siskin,GSW, plus good numbers of usual Tits.

Then went back to car park, and followed the path down to where it runs inbetween the meadows, again lots of Pheasants the most I've seen down there, large flock of W/Pigeon 150+ spooked by something I dIdn't manage to catch, Buzzard about though, along the edge of the fields on the right another small flock of Yellow Hammers, M/Pipit, Goldfinches and a couple of Skylark.

There's restricted parking at the bottom carpark, you can only park on the left of the road at the moment, they've got timber stacked along the fire track ready to bring out so want to keep the gate clear.

Chris

 

[jackhaye]

Berry Hill Sunday

Pretty quiet this morning at BH: Best was Peregrine atop the smaller of the two masts waiting for something to come into range. Meadow pipits seem much reduced in number and couldn't find any chats or wheatears today, only summer migrant was a single Swallow. Good number of Greenfinch near the retirement village and seems to be a few more reed buntings around than there were last weekend.
cheers
Andy

 

[Rob Jones]

Stanley Pool

Very low water levels and you can just about walk across the middle dam.
I picked out what I *think* was a Graylag X Canada. Thicker shorter neck, different white shape on the head and pink legs, white bar on the belly. Picture below.
Other than that, Buzzards, FM Sprawk, Cormorants, Grey Wagtail.

Called in at Berry Hill, v quiet, just a single Stonechat and a few MPipits.

 

[nutcracker1965]

Hello Just back from the Orkney's for the SANDHILL CRANE , saw the American golden plover as well ,great views of both bird's . left STOKE at 8pm friday arrived back home 5.15 am sunday morning ,total distance driven was 1137 miles but worth every mile. IN total 45 species ticked on the island . thank's to Bill and Tony who shared the driving with me . IAN

 

[matt4scfc]

Hello Just back from the Orkney's for the SANDHILL CRANE , saw the American golden plover as well ,great views of both bird's . left STOKE at 8pm friday arrived back home 5.15 am sunday morning ,total distance driven was 1137 miles but worth every mile. IN total 45 species ticked on the island . thank's to Bill and Tony who shared the driving with me . IAN

Your just gloating now!
Im not jealous!
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr" :t:

Matt.