Split from - Wildlife in Stevenston

[Vivc113]

Honey has now vanished. You wonder what goes on in the heads of these birds. Anyway I have brioche rolls today.

[5siamese7]

I think honey might have other things on its mind as a I see pigeons are busy mating.

[Vivc113]

Oh I see. Pretty much the entire gang have vanished just now. Only gulls n magpies remain.

[5siamese7]

Watched a pair of cock blackbirds fighting over which one would occupy the garden.It wasn't bad one blew himself up to make himself look bigger and the other bird cleared off. Some birds will kill a rival. The worst I ever saw was mute swans at the quarry. Two males really having a go at each other and the dominant male eventually had the other bird on the ground and stood on his neck and killed him by pecking the back of his head exposing his brains. Nowadays I would have brought him home and prepared him for the oven because I have been reliably told that they make good eating.

[5siamese7]

Regarding the blackbird situation things have settled down and a pair are showing interest in my Japanese laurel for a nesting sight. I hope they put things on hold as it looks like early March is going to be very cold.

[iain]

A Cereal Leaf Beetle I found at Ardeer Quarry Local Nature Reserve a week or two ago. Leaf beetles are often colourful, metallic species, and this one is no exception. As its name suggests, it’s particularly fond of eating cereal crops, such as barley and wheat, and it’s a common agricultural pest throughout much of the world.

[iain]

Pseudomalus auratus, a species of ‘ruby-tailed’ wasp, from Stevenston Beach Local Nature Reserve. Ruby-tailed wasps are cuckoos of other solitary wasps. Pseudomalus auratus is a cuckoo of stem-nesting wasps – i.e. wasps that make nest tunnels length-wise in the soft pith at the core of dead bramble stems. This one was found in brambles on the reserve, where its species lays its eggs in the nests of Pemphredon lethifer, a small, black solitary wasp.

[5siamese7]

A highly coloured person probably indicating that I don't taste too nice so leave me alone. Regarding the "scaup" pond they the scaups didn't return this year and I wonder why? Some Canada geese are now resident there but there is a lack of nesting sites so I guess most of them will soon clear off.

[5siamese7]

This unseasonal hard weather is really going to set some of our song birds back. No broods now until the end of April and some might change the number of clutches and chicks they have. Its all gone haywire for nature.

[morag]

It's a bit the same here, cool, cloudy, rainy...what, in SoCal!!!, Still, got phoebes and hummers, a bit..but the usual dawn chorus missing

[5siamese7]

Here too Morag the dawn chorus has gone. Last year we had the blackbird and the robin but not this year. A big decline in small birds locally. Did see a solitary wren yesterday and it didn't hang around or I would have heard it as these guys are vociferous.

[5siamese7]

The blackbirds have returned, two male trying to dominate each other prospecting around my Japanese laurel and do you know whoever wins won't produce a brood the maggies will eat their eggs.