Just like Attenborough

We are having a new liner in our swimming pool. This meant first of all pumping out the many cubic metres of mainly green looking rain water. We were able to use some of that to water the horses when they were here, but most of it watered the fields. Of course there is always a remaining amount of flotsam in the bottom of the pool, usually including frogs and dead mice.
We fished out the little frogs and transported them to a small pond which has formed in the field, where they found family friends. But imagine our surprise when not one but three little salamanders swam into our nets.
These too were carried to the pond, where they seem to be happy enough.

Spot the frog

Salamander seeking cover

That's what you think, Bill!

Thought  your readers would be interested in this shot of a normal house spider, I think,

With all its young on her or his back.

Bill

Butterfly tree in full bloom

The various buddleia around our garden have been coming into blossom this last week, and true to their pseudonym have been attracting butterflies aplenty.

Here is a photograph of a swallowtail perched on the tip of a flower. For truly superb photos of local butterflies do not forget Michael Fontes's site Orchids of Najac.
http://www.orchideesdenajac.fr/engindex.htm

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Bearing the bad weather

The mild weather at the beginning of February appears to have woken the Pyrenees bears early from their hibernation. Automatic cameras in the Val d'Aran captured Pyros, the main male in the area, braving snow storms later in the month. The bears live principally on the Spanish side of the slopes. where a new female will be introduced in May with the intent of providing new bloodlines.

Pyrus seen on 28th February

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See what the sun brings out

For some time now we have been keeping an eye on a chrysalis glued to our garden gate wall - interestingly in the same place as last year. Passing today, the warm sunshine has encouraged the insect inside to emerge into the world.
We don't know what is, but it looks a bit black as yet. Perhaps it will be a beautiful butterfly.
Val says it looks like a big black ugly bug to me!

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Going green

Dear Val and Malcolm,

It is that time of year when the animal kingdom is pairing up but no rude pictures here though.  I photographed these green lizards - Lacerta viridis, topping up on their tan but this prompted a question, do reptiles get sunburnt?  

a pair

female

male

                          Apparently the scales of reptiles protect the inner dermis, and they also retain moisture, which stops the reptiles from dehydrating.   I did some additional research and found a study which demonstrated that there is a variation between species, in terms of the transmission of UV light through their skin.  This variation also found that this difference, affected the basking habits of reptiles, those with a higher tolerance would stay in the sun longer.

Nev
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Surprise visitor

Europe's smallest bird, the goldcrest, is not particularly rare but we have never seen one here before. Imagine our surprise then, when preparing lunch, to see a small bird picking insects from the branches of a buddleia which grows outside the kitchen window. At first we thought it was a blue tit and apparently they do often join groups of tits, and with so many on our feeders it would have been no surprise. But closer observation revealed other unmistakeable traits - the size, the greeny/yellow back, the buff underside and most obviously the yellow and red markings on top of the head.


distinctive head markings

He (it was an adult male) kindly waited whilst a camera was sought. One characteristic is that they flit incessantly from branch to branch, but here are a couple of shots which just about help to see him.

See the light underside and pointed bill

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Giant moons

Apparently the moon is at its closest point to the Earth and so appears to be much larger than normal. If you have a clear view of the moonrise you can enjoy the big red disc in the eastern sky.
Photographers will know how difficult it is to catch a good shot of the moon as it is so bright compared to the background, so they will guess how Malc managed to achieve this result.
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green lizards

Peter Hughes writes:
I took these photos of a pair of Green Lizards (Lacerta viridis) in our garden three years ago. The Green Lizard, which with the tail measures up to 40 cm, is the largest lizard of central Europe. It makes its appearance in April & the breeding season lasts until June

In the breeding season the male has a bright blue throat & a more robust head. The throat loses some of its colour when their period of sexual activity ceases.

For the full story and more amazing pictures go to Wild Photos

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The cat and the hoopoe

Dear Val and Malc,
The Cat and the Hoopoe

 On our travels walking the dog,  it is always nice to see nature in action and when it is on your doorstep it enables one to easily return and study the habits of the subject.  By observing one can choose when and how to approach taking a picture without disturbing the subject and sometimes the unexpected occurs, which is what happened with the Cat and the Hoopoe.

The story starts by going back a few days when I noticed that a Hoopoe was entering a crack in the side of a stone barn.  By watching over a few days I could see which approach it would take to get to the nest and then where the ideal place would be for the equipment to go, in this case behind a stone wall.  Birds in general have a large circle of fear, so you, and your equipment need to be some distance from them, especially when they are nesting. Fortunately I have a zoom lens, tripod and a remote release for the camera that works really well and allows me to hide several metres away in fact so far away I cannot hear the shutter so I can only hope that a picture has been taken.

Whilst the Hoopoe was off fetching food for its young I set up the camera and tripod and sat waiting for it to reappear.   I was able to get a few pictures of it hanging off the entrance to its nest, there is one of its crest up but in this instance it did not turn sideways so it is not easy to see.  Do you think that wildlife does not always understand the concept of its best side.

Nature is always looking for opportunities, and the following day when I returned there was a feral cat sat in the opening adjacent to the Hoopoe's nest.  

The cat had obviously seen the same activity that I had.  The cat noticed my approach and was not particularly bothered as it had dinner on its mind.  The Hoopoe on the other hand was not at all pleased with the situation as it was potentially the dinner.  
Rather than set up the tripod which would have disturbed the scene, I snapped of a picture of the cat and then the Hoopoe which was sitting on a post beak full of insects.

 I then retraced my steps allowing the battle of wills to continue.

The ending of the story is that the cat, not able to catch the Hoopoe left the ledge and probably went chasing mice or rats instead.  The Hoopoe will, I am sure manage to finish off rearing its young and they might return again next year.
Nev
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Hi Val

I have been enjoying Neville's photos on Taglines  & also the recent ones by Michael Fontes. His lovely photo of a Swallowtail Butterfly inspired me to "dig out" some of my own that I took a few years ago. They love feeding on lavender!

Peter

For more pictures see Wild photos page

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From a walk with Michael Fontes

Dear Val and Malcolm,

I enormously enjoyed my afternoon with you yesterday, and I was pleased to get plenty of interesting photos.  I append five, for you to deal with as you wish.  

The occasional obfuscation by pieces of grass, as in the pyramid photo, is intentional.  I rather like the hazy effect it gives to photos which aren't intended to help people identify the plant or butterfly - I have plenty of other photos for that.

I'd be delighted if you'd give my enterprise a boost.  I sell my cards and photos, rue du Chateau, at the bottom of the hill from the castle going towards the village, late mornings in the summer (April to late October), and by appointment (05.65.65.80.47) throughout the year.  I have a very wide stock of photos of the flowers and butterflies of the Najac area and I make cards on the spot from any photo that people choose.  I also come out to people to take photos of their houses or gardens, from which I make large photos and/or cards.  The photos can be framed immediately and inexpensively (eg. 20 euros for a photo 8 inches by 12 inches) in unglazed frames specially made for me from solid Najac chestnut.  I'm always delighted to receive people who want to come late mornings (between 11 am and 1 pm) Rue du Chateau, to discuss what they've found or to help, if I can, with identification of a flower or a butterfly.

The photos from yesterday are up on the site now.  I was particularly pleased to find all those flowers, which may seem very ordinary to you, but which I'd not yet found this year, because mostly I've been in the Caussy places where they don't grow. It was lovely to be in those lush meadows. 

It was great to meet you both.  Thank you very much for your kindness to me and don't hesitate to be in touch or to come to see me in Najac, whenever.

Best wishes, Michael   to see the full site visit www.orchideesdenajac.fr

Val says I just love the scarce swallowtail butterfly. Fabulous photos going into  the Wild Photos

Orchis Pyramidal / Anacamptis pyramidalis / Pyramid Orchid - 30/04/14

Glanville Fritillary on a Buttercup

La Mélitée du plantain / Melitaea cinxia / Glanville Fritillary - 30/04/14

Scarce Swallowtail on Crimson Clover

Le Flambé / Iphiclides podalirius / Scarce Swallowtail - 30/04/14

Orchidée à la langue / Serapias lingua / Tongue Orchid - 30/04/14

Small Blue on Kidney Vetch

L'Argus frêle / Cupido minimus / Small Blue - 30/04/14

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Heron Bihoreau

Nev Stott sent some pictures of this unusual heron he had spotted (see Wild Photos). Going back with a telephoto lens he was fortunate to be able to get a close up.
These birds are among many herons and similar species which nest and breed each year on the Ile de Pessote in the Tarn river at Montauban. Last year 55 pairs of the Bihoreau Heron were counted as nesting on the isle. Local naturalist associations hold sighting meetings with telescopes provided. If you want to go it is a good idea to get there soon, before the trees and bushes are in full leaf.
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Pine processional caterpillars about

Caterpillars photographed yesterday by Malc

These caterpillars make "nests" in the pine tree plantations about the area and usually about March they make their way down the tree and across the forest floor until they find suitable sites to pupate into the moths about the end of summer.
The behaviour of the larvae is interesting because they march nose to tail in a procession. Famous French entomologist Jean Henri Fabre conducted an experiment in which the larvae were placed in a circle and they continued to follow each other for a week.
But the problem with these moths (apart from the destruction of the trees if they are too numerous) is that the hairs on their body can be very irritating to humans and other mammals - especially to the eyes. They can actually fire hairs into those disturbing them and can be toxic to dogs and cats.
Apparently they are predated by great tits and great spotted woodpeckers.
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Arachnophobes look away now

Thought the following pictures of a spider we ‘rescued’ during the summer just gone might be of interest for the Wild Photos section. I found this beauty climbing my chest (on my shirt I may add) whilst we were moving rocks around the house.  To say I was somewhat shaken was an understatement to say the least.  After cautiously taking a few snaps, we dropped her off across the road, out of harm’s way. Maybe one of the readers can advise of the specie.

Regards, Brad & Roberta.

For more photos see the "Wild Photos" tab above.

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Welcome Peter Hughes as TAG photography Editor

Peter Hughes was born in York & went to school just outside the City walls. As a child he was a keen bird & wildlife watcher & would spend hours on the local ings & moors observing wildlife. This led him to decide to be a vet by the age of seven.

Six years training at Cambridge University allowed him to fulfil his ambition. He first worked in a large practice in Devon dealing with dairy cattle, small animals & a few horses. After two years there he & another fellow Cambridge graduate, Bob Mercer, set up their own practice in Essex. Mercer & Hughes flourished & soon had three surgeries covering an area around Saffron Walden, Great Dunmow & Stansted manned by a total of six vets.

Peter specialised in equine veterinary medicine but all the vets worked with small animals. His particular interests included plastic reconstructive surgery & Koi carp. During this time he was on the committee of the BSAVA & was heavily involved in the local Round Table helping to raise lots of money for local charities.

He is a very keen photographer & owned his first camera, a Kodak Brownie box camera, at the age of eight. He is also a keen golfer & sailor & kept a 35 foot yacht on the River Orwell.

Peter & Val were married in 1970 & have three children. Bethan is a GP in Bury St Edmunds & Katie is a linguist married to a Foreign Office diplomat living at present in Argentina. Gavin studied American history at Sussex University & at the University of Texas in Austin & now works as a project & sales manager in London.

The veterinary practice was passed on to the junior partners when Bob & Peter retired together after 32 years in 2006. It still bears the name of Mercer & Hughes. Peter & Val sold their Old Vicarage in north Essex & retired to Suffolk to be near their four grandchildren. They also bought a house here in the SW of France fulfilling a lifetime's ambition.

Retirement should mean having more spare time! Peter is very busy building, gardening, playing golf & practising photography. His interest in wine, good food & computers means that he always has lots to do.

Peter on his balcony with a view

Does Peter sound just perfect to be our TAG photography editor? His love of animals and his Round Table activities raising money for lots of charities fits so well with the TAG ethos. Welcome on board Peter and enjoy writing, presenting your pictures and helping other photographers with your depth of knowledge and expertise.Keep your eye on his label ''Wild photos'' to see his wildlife pictures. Peter will also look forward to seeing your pictures and giving advice if needed. Any pictures sent must be sent as attached jpg's
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