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The weather wasn't excellent brilliant for a lot of insects earlier this afternoon. Dull, dark skies with persistent light rain but there were still quite a few dragonflies and damselflies around some of the local ponds, including this one, my first Ruddy Darter of the year.
Having seen my first Common Darter of the year yesterday I thought it may have been another one but upon closer inspection through the camera, I realised this one was in fact a Ruddy. Unlike Common Darters which have black legs with light brown lines, these have completely black legs.
Airborne Artillerymen assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division Artillery lift their nearly 2 1/2-ton M119A3 light howitzer as a team to set the gun in position during a Division Artillery Readiness Test on Fort Bragg N.C., March 2, 2016. The DART tests the battery in support of Global Response Battalion 1 on the their ability to conduct standard and non-standard fire missions such as the out of traverse, and emergency fire missions both day at night under stressful situations to ensure they can support any mission for GRB-1 within 18 hours of notification. (82nd ABN DIVARTY PAO, Capt. Joe Bush/ Released)
Dodge dart tigershark mopar cai sri short ram intake cold air intake modification roadrace sema tmc brakes intercooler turbo downpipe thermal wrap fwd dressup rrm axis 1.4l 2.0l American bov show car race car performance coilovers exhaust catback axleback
Poison dart frog (also dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. These species are diurnal and often have brightly-colored bodies. Although all wild dendrobatids are at least somewhat toxic, levels of toxicity vary considerably from one species to the next and from one population to another. Many species are critically endangered. These amphibians are often called "dart frogs" due to the Amerindians' indigenous use of their toxic secretions to poison the tips of blowdarts. However, of over 175 species, only three have been documented as being used for this purpose (curare plants are more commonly used), and none come from the Dendrobates genus, which is characterized by the brilliant color and complex patterns of its members.
They usually breed in colonies, occasionally mixed with cormorants or herons. The darters pair bond monogamously at least for a breeding season. There are many different types of displays used for mating. Males display to attract females by raising (but not stretching) their wings to wave them in an alternating fashion, bowing and snapping the bill, or giving twigs to potential mates. To strengthen the pair bond, partners rub their bills or wave, point upwards or bow their necks in unison. When one partner comes to relieve the other at the nest, males and females use the same display the male employs during courtship; during changeovers, the birds may also "yawn" at each other.
Breeding is seasonal (peaking in March/April) at the northern end of their range; elsewhere they can be found breeding all year round. The nests are made of twigs and lined with leaves; they are built in trees or reeds, usually near water. Typically, the male gathers nesting material and brings it to the female, which does most of the actual construction work. Nest construction takes only a few days (about three at most), and the pairs copulate at the nest site. The clutch size is two to six eggs (usually about four) which have a pale green color. The eggs are laid within 24–48 hours and incubated for 25 to 30 days, starting after the first has been laid; they hatch asynchronously. To provide warmth to the eggs, the parents will cover them with their large webbed feet, because like their relatives they lack a brood patch. The last young to hatch will usually starve in years with little food available. Bi-parental care is given and the young are considered altricial. They are fed by regurgitation of partly digested food when young, switching to entire food items as they grow older. After fledging, the young are fed for about two more weeks while they learn to hunt for themselves.
These birds reach sexual maturity by about two years, and generally live to around nine years. The maximum possible lifespan of darters seems to be about sixteen years.
Darter eggs are edible and considered delicious by some; they are locally collected by humans as food. The adults are also eaten occasionally, as they are rather meaty birds (comparable to a domestic duck); like other fish-eating birds such as cormorants or seaducks they do not taste particularly good though. Darter eggs and nestlings are also collected in a few places to raise the young. Sometimes this is done for food, but some nomads in Assam and Bengal train tame darters to be employed as in cormorant fishing. With an increasing number of nomads settling down in recent decades, this cultural heritage is in danger of being lost. On the other hand, as evidenced by the etymology of "anhinga" detailed above, the Tupi seem to have considered the anhinga a kind of bird of ill omen.
It is interesting how one bird keeps watch over the entire nesting area so the others can take care of their young. Wish humans thought the same way.
Ensign no 731 (R631 VEG)
Dennis Dart SLF / Marshall
Former MTL London Northern DML31
Route 66
Lakeside
2nd December 2006
Note the two recently hatched chicks with the adult male.
Long Term Intervention Monitoring project is currently underway in the Gwydir catchment.
As part of this monitoring program, solar powered RMCAM internet enabled cameras and weather sensors were installed in remote locations across the Gwydir Wetlands State Conservation Area.
There is good water availability in the wetlands this season due to prolonged water deliveries to the wetlands.
A variety of waterbirds are nesting close to these cameras, including Little Pied Cormorants, Darters, Magpie Geese, Plumed Whistling Ducks and Australian White Ibis.
The obvious advantage of using this approach is being able to monitor species/events etc in a remote location, with flexible regularity and without disturbance.