Predator and Prey
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Skylark - Alauda Arvensis
Skylarks are characteristic of semi-natural grassland systems from sand dunes through heathland to marginal upland, but are most common in arable farmland, making use of the nesting cover and bare ground for feeding that crops themselves provide throughout the year. Males are highly territorial, using long song flights at high altitude to broadcast to rivals and potential mates because the open landscapes they prefer are devoid of high perches. The stamina required to sustain long song flights has led to song flight length being used as an “honest signal” of male quality by females, allowing male Skylarks to advertise themselves without bright plumage, so they have kept the cryptic, brown and streaked coloration that affords them protection from predators on the ground.
Although migratory in much of northern Europe, British breeding Skylarks are believed not to move far between seasons, although upland birds move to lower latitudes. They can then often begin to breed in March and continue into July, making up to three breeding attempts. In winter, they mostly use crop stubble and fallow fields, in which they forage for weed seed and spilled grain, often in large flocks. Throughout the year, the Skylark’s heritage as a steppe species is apparent in its avoidance of vertical structures, which restricts the suitability of farmland with a high density of hedgerows.
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Già, un ragno giallo splendente; come a dire un predatore che più visibile di così non si può. Si tratta forse di un clamoroso errore del Sistema Naturale? O forse dell'Evoluzione? No, no, non è così: quei dispositivi non sbagliano mai. Il ragno è giallo perché gli stessi organi riproduttivi di molti fiori hanno lo stesso colore e l'insetto che visita il fiore lo confonderà con quelli ..... ..
Sparrowhawk [Accipiter nisus] f.
This little beauty appeared at The Pixies just after I had re-filled all the bird feeders...All the usual little songbirds, blue-, great-, and coaltits, nuthatches and chaffinches, were having a feast when, suddenly, they all disappeared into the trees.
I was thrilled to have caught this image but the implications of her presence here are really quite chilling...Of course, she has to eat, too, but the wee birdies have absolutely no chance against these lethal talons and beak.
She left this perch very soon after arriving and the wee birdies soon resumed their eating and seed- and nut-gathering.
The Circle Of Life? Ambivalence and cognitive dissonance...
(I know it’s not a great shot - she was very high up in this tree )
At The Pixies
South Carrick Hills
SW Scotland
(edited)
Labyrinth Spider (Agelena labyrinthica) & Sweat Bee (Andrena Sp.) | 05-2022 | Ticino | Switzerland
My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
More TICINO/TESSIN Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): it.lacerta-bilineata.com/ramarro-occidentale-lacerta-bili... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI
A version in color of this photo (and of one where the spider attacks and is in focus) you can find here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/other-fauna?pgid=krc12ip9-c9a0a...
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO:
I was trying to get a good shot of a labyrinth spider in my garden, when suddenly this little sweat bee got caught in the web. As the bee frantically tried to escape the sticky trap, the spider attacked. I thought the little bee was all done for, but to my surprise, it used its sting to great effect.
The spider attacked again and again, but it had huge respect of the little fella's sting, and it just couldn't get the right angle to overwhelm the bee and tie it up. Eventually, the spider retreated, and the little guy made it out alive and unharmed.
Now for those of you who feel sorry for the spider that lost a juicy meal, don't worry: that web of hers was incredibly efficient, and she feasted like a queen every day during the time I was there (which is probably partly the reason why she gave up relatively easily on the little bee).
In case you're interested, you can find the color version of this photo and of one where the spider attacks and is in focus through the link above, but the reason I prefer the one in b/w (intentionally "over-sharpened" to create a "grainy", "grungy" look ;-) and with the focus on the little bee is that it reminds me of the posters for horror/sci-fi B-movies of the 50s like 'Tarantula' or 'Them' - and I adore those 😉
As always, many greetings from Switzerland; try to stay out of the heat and let me know what you think in the comments 😊
Backdrop: The Bearded Guy - Bones Hall Backdrop
LM (The Bearded Guy): maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moonwall/169/121/32
I've struggled with the idea of posting this one
A beautiful bird but an unwelcome visitor to our garden
This was the aftermath we witnessed taking place a few days ago.
Sadly one of our little sparrows lost it's life before we witnessed this scene.
I understand we eat meat, so in theory I'm no different from this Sparrowhawk hunting it's prey
It's just so difficult to watch when for months on end the little sparrows who nested in our bushes, brought up what seemed like a multitude of offspring, fledged and continue to return to our feeders
We have grown so attached to their playful, funny characters
I'd certainly never make a wildlife photographer. Im in tears watching Frozen Planet 2
I'd want to try and save them all
Well, I also thought although not in flight I can capture images of birds (not the blurry variety)
Not crystal clear, taken through the kitchen window, which may have needed cleaning
It tells a story, if nothing else
We just hope he doesn't chose to do a return visit
The Venus Flytrap (dionaea muscipulae) attracts his prey (flies, insects) using sweet nectar. Touch a trigger hair twice, or two hairs in quick succession, and an electric charge closes the trap, its interlocking teeth forming a cage. The insect's continued struggles will cause the trap to seal, at which point digestive enzymes will dissolve the victim's soft tissues. The trap reabsorbs this nutritious soup, and - after about a week - reopens.
A 3.175cm (1 .25") Praying Mantis eating a fly on a Gardenia jasminoides 'Kleim's Hardy' in my garden. These insects are notorious predators and their name is sometime mistakenly spelled ‘Preying Mantis’ which is incorrect.
means it has a larger influence on its environment than its abundance. It plays key role in maintaining the population of other animals in an ecological community.
texture by ipiccy.com
bird:[Rezz Room] Box Eagle Adult Animesh @EQUAL10 maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/equal10/233/127/95
outfit:Art&Ko - Elizabeth Set @Enchantment
gloves:[ContraptioN] Dapper Dandy's Gloves
skin:.MILA. Stefy Skin @ TRES CHIC nov 17 - dec 10 maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tres%20Chic/153/162/74
blush add ons: Heaux
head:LeLUTKA Briannon Head 3.1 @Mainstore
hair:Magika - Hair - Let It Snow
A harvestman with a parasitic mite attached.
This is one of those moments in which I saw the harvestman and a red dot, but I had no idea what I was seeing until I took the shot(s). Gotta love macro lenses!