Wild Things: Birds enjoy an insect boom
Wild Things columnist Eric Brown is buzzing with enthusiasm about the varied insects to be found during a record sunny spring and the benefits to birds relying on them for food.
While it awaits a verdict on its future, Crossness Nature Reserve has come alive with a little sunshine particularly encouraging insects out into the open.
Lesser emperor dragonflies are being regularly reported by observers at the Belvedere-based reserve under threat from industrial development.
Wild Things: Good news for puffins
Plenty of common butterflies like holly blue are around, too, plus three marbled whites seen in the Sea Wall Field area. The beautiful ruby-tailed wasp also seen on the reserve is a solitary cuckoo wasp with a dubious habitat of laying its eggs in the nests of other solitary wasp and bee species, particularly mason bees. When the eggs hatch the larvae eat the larvae of the host species in order to develop.
Bird interest includes sedge warblers making use of the plentiful reeds with one observed feeding a fledgling. A slow worm was also discovered as Bexley Borough's top reserve maintains its reputation for biodiversity.
Insects are busy at Chislehurst Common, too. A gaudy hoverfly known as xanthgogramma pedissequum showed up . It has no official common English name, but it is easy to see from the picture why it is known as 'superb dayglower' across Europe.
Also around are speckled wood butterflies and orange-tailed mining bees, andrena haemorrhoa, with their brilliant orange thoraxes.
Wild Things: Searching for butterfly royalty
Mining bees are solitary bees. They do not form colonies, but live independently, tunnelling into the ground where they make a nest. The glade at the common, with areas of bare earth, is an ideal site.
They collect pollen for young to feed on, and are important pollinators.
Broad-bodied chaser dragonflies and hairy shieldbugs are among many other insect species to be found on Chislehurst Common. If you are nearby, why not make time for a walk around to see how many insect and bird species you can find ?
From my house I have seen many large flying insects. This is good news for the local swifts I first spotted returning from Africa on May 1, six days earlier than my first "house" sighting of 2024. I've even seen one catching an insect and passing it to another swift on the wing. My largest swift count so far at one time has been five and I was delighted to also spot a group of five house martins in the same airspace. Previously I've been lucky to see just a couple of house martins all summer. On one memorable day I saw swifts, house martins and a swallow all pass my window. Maybe an increase in insects has been responsible for luring these birds in the sunniest spring on record. Certainly I expect to hear soon of an increase in butterfly numbers after last year's dismally wet spring hit their numbers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
A Biologist Spotlights 3 ‘Extreme' Snakes — By Strike Speed, Ground Speed And Air Speed
It may not come as a surprise that snakes move quickly, as their prey – often fast-moving animals – ... More demands agility. What many don't realize, however, is just how many snakes are capable of outpacing even humans. In Kung Fu, 'striking like a cobra' symbolizes speed and precision – qualities that are quite real in the snake world. Many snakes feed on creatures like rodents, birds and other small vertebrates, all of which are impressively quick for their size. However, contrary to popular belief, cobras aren't the fastest strikers in the snake world. When it comes to sheer strike speed, few snakes rival the puff adder (Bitis arietans), whose deadly reputation in Africa is well-earned. Responsible for the majority of snakebite fatalities in Africa, the puff adder strikes with both speed and precision. Its strike can reach a blistering 19 feet per second. To put that in perspective, it takes just under 90 milliseconds for the snake's fangs to reach their target, while a typical human blink lasts around 200 milliseconds. In other words, the puff adder can strike faster than the blink of an eye. But while the puff adder is the meanest striker, it isn't the fastest when it comes to locomotion – the process by which an animal physically moves through its environment. Over land and air, there are two snake species that can very well outpace humans. Black Mamba – The Fastest Snake On Land The black mamba is the fastest snake on land, capable of reaching speeds up to 12 miles per hour. When it comes to land speed, few snakes are as fast as the black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis). Native to sub-Saharan Africa, this long, slender, and remarkably agile species can reach speeds of 9 to 12 miles per hour over short distances, making it the fastest snake in the world on land. Don't be fooled by web searches claiming the sidewinder rattlesnake is the world's fastest snake – a misconception that's been widely perpetuated online. While sidewinding is an efficient way to move across loose desert sand, it's not particularly fast. Biomechanical research shows that sidewinders top out at around 2.2 miles per hour on the ground. By contrast, the black mamba's smooth lateral undulation and powerful muscular coordination allow it to traverse open ground with astonishing speed. Its movement is not only fast but also controlled and deliberate. Black mambas are often seen cruising the savanna with their head and neck held high, using their keen eyesight to scan for danger or track prey – typically small mammals such as hyraxes, bush babies, and rodents. Despite their fearsome reputation, black mambas are not inherently aggressive. In reality, they are shy, secretive snakes that go out of their way to avoid conflict. Like most snakes, they strike only when they feel threatened or cornered. (Sidebar: Long considered the world's second-longest venomous snake at up to 15 feet, the black mamba has recently slipped to fifth place. Curious which four venomous snakes outrank it in length? Read the full story here.) Paradise Flying Snake – The Fastest Snake In Air This gorgeous paradise flying snake has the amazing ability to use its body to control a free fall. ... More By flattening its ribs, it is able to "glide" through the air, making it a very unique species of snake. The paradise flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) is not capable of flight in the traditional sense, but it has evolved a remarkable ability to glide through the air, making it one of the most fascinating – and fastest moving – snakes in the world. Found in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, this snake uses its unique body structure to 'fly' from tree to tree by flattening its ribs and undulating through the air. Its gliding ability allows it to cover distances of up to 100 feet in a single leap, often traveling at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. Measured by sheer velocity, that makes it the fastest snake in the world – though it only reaches these speeds while gliding. The snake's technique involves launching itself from a high point and using the air to support its long, flattened body, making it seem like it's flying. In reality, the snake is engaging in controlled freefall, steering with precise body movements to direct its glide. This specialized form of locomotion helps it escape predators, hunt for prey and move efficiently between trees in its dense forest habitat. There are five species in the genus Chrysopelea, but only four have documented gliding behavior. The exception is the Sri Lankan flying snake (Chrysopelea taprobanica), for which data on aerial locomotion is still lacking. While the other species are all considered skilled aerial travelers, biomechanical research suggests that the paradise flying snake is the fastest glider among them. While the paradise flying snake is venomous, its venom is mild and poses little danger to humans. Its primary diet consists of reptiles, birds and other small vertebrates, and its ability to glide gives it a distinct advantage in ambushing prey or escaping threats in the treetops. Curious to see how your fear of animals stacks up? Take our quick quiz to find out fast-moving creatures — like snakes that strike fast, slither, swim and glide — send a shiver down your spine: Fear Of Animals Scale
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Meet the tiny Australian Moth that travels 1,000 km and navigates using the stars
An Australian moth follows the stars during its yearly migration, using the night sky as a guiding compass, according to a new study. When temperatures heat up, nocturnal Bogong moths fly about 1,000 kilometres to cool down in caves by the Australian Alps. They later return home to breed and die. Birds routinely navigate by starlight, but the moths are the first known invertebrates, or creatures without a backbone, to find their way across such long distances using the stars. Scientists have long wondered how the moths travel to a place they've never been. A previous study hinted that Earth's magnetic field might help steer them in the right direction, along with some kind of visual landmark as a guide. Related Does cutting off rhinos' horns protect them from poachers? New study supports controversial approach Since stars appear in predictable patterns each night, scientists suspected they might help lead the way. They placed moths in a flight simulator that mimicked the night sky above them and blocked out the Earth's magnetic field, noting where they flew. Then they scrambled the stars and saw how the moths reacted. When the stars were as they should be, the moths flapped in the right direction. But when the stars were in random places, the moths were disoriented. Their brain cells also got excited in response to specific orientations of the night sky. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature. It 'was a very clean, impressive demonstration that the moths really are using a view of the night sky to guide their movements,' said Kenneth Lohmann, who studies animal navigation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was not involved with the new research. Researchers don't know what features of the night sky the moths use to find their way. It could be a stripe of light from the Milky Way, a colourful nebula or something else entirely. Whatever it is, the insects seem to rely on that, along with Earth's magnetic field, to make their journey. Related Rare snail that can 'slurp up earthworms like noodles' caught on camera laying an egg from its neck Scientists use special 'squeezing' and electrical probes to collect sperm from endangered kākāpō Other animals harness the stars as a guide. Birds take celestial cues as they soar through the skies, and dung beetles roll their remains short distances while using the Milky Way to stay on course. It's an impressive feat for Bogong moths, whose brains are smaller than a grain of rice, to rely on the night sky for their odyssey, said study author David Dreyer with Lund University in Sweden. 'It's remarkable that an animal with such a tiny brain can actually do this,' Dreyer said.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wild Things: Birds enjoy an insect boom
Wild Things columnist Eric Brown is buzzing with enthusiasm about the varied insects to be found during a record sunny spring and the benefits to birds relying on them for food. While it awaits a verdict on its future, Crossness Nature Reserve has come alive with a little sunshine particularly encouraging insects out into the open. Lesser emperor dragonflies are being regularly reported by observers at the Belvedere-based reserve under threat from industrial development. Wild Things: Good news for puffins Plenty of common butterflies like holly blue are around, too, plus three marbled whites seen in the Sea Wall Field area. The beautiful ruby-tailed wasp also seen on the reserve is a solitary cuckoo wasp with a dubious habitat of laying its eggs in the nests of other solitary wasp and bee species, particularly mason bees. When the eggs hatch the larvae eat the larvae of the host species in order to develop. Bird interest includes sedge warblers making use of the plentiful reeds with one observed feeding a fledgling. A slow worm was also discovered as Bexley Borough's top reserve maintains its reputation for biodiversity. Insects are busy at Chislehurst Common, too. A gaudy hoverfly known as xanthgogramma pedissequum showed up . It has no official common English name, but it is easy to see from the picture why it is known as 'superb dayglower' across Europe. Also around are speckled wood butterflies and orange-tailed mining bees, andrena haemorrhoa, with their brilliant orange thoraxes. Wild Things: Searching for butterfly royalty Mining bees are solitary bees. They do not form colonies, but live independently, tunnelling into the ground where they make a nest. The glade at the common, with areas of bare earth, is an ideal site. They collect pollen for young to feed on, and are important pollinators. Broad-bodied chaser dragonflies and hairy shieldbugs are among many other insect species to be found on Chislehurst Common. If you are nearby, why not make time for a walk around to see how many insect and bird species you can find ? From my house I have seen many large flying insects. This is good news for the local swifts I first spotted returning from Africa on May 1, six days earlier than my first "house" sighting of 2024. I've even seen one catching an insect and passing it to another swift on the wing. My largest swift count so far at one time has been five and I was delighted to also spot a group of five house martins in the same airspace. Previously I've been lucky to see just a couple of house martins all summer. On one memorable day I saw swifts, house martins and a swallow all pass my window. Maybe an increase in insects has been responsible for luring these birds in the sunniest spring on record. Certainly I expect to hear soon of an increase in butterfly numbers after last year's dismally wet spring hit their numbers.
