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Common Darter Dragonfly
(Sympetrum striolatum)
We'd just finished a family lunch and I was taking the dishes through to wash them. Looking up through the kitchen window as the water was running, I realised I was being 'watched'. Perched atop a hanging basket I'd taken down to work on was a Common Darter Dragonfly.
I only had my mobile phone with me, So while Moominmamma went in search of her digital camera, I rushed outside and started taking what pictures I could.
The dragonfly was not impressed. After a few head twists and what looked like the most disapproving expression, it suddenly flew straight at the back of the mobile phone and attached itself, beginning to crawl over the top.
Surprised, I took a step or two back while trying to slowly change the phone to the front camera - god alone knows what I thought I would get in the way of images !
Moominmamma was back by this point, but the sight of 6 foot man of a certain weight backing away from this tiny beast reduced her to tears of laughter.
Insulted, the dragonfly flew up onto my head, soaked up the sun for a few seconds, and then flew off.
My protestations that I was suffering from PTSD and needed to spend the afternoon resting on the internet rather than working in the garden were batted aside by my beloved wife who obviously knows me far too well :-)
Sidmouth Triangle, probably 1997.Adrian Hackett pictured + Teddy Bear ! N 599DWY is no more. RBS had this Dennis Dart before Stagecoach in Exeter ever did.
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
A recent trip back up to my native Yorkshire meant I had to go looking for the ex Wighbus Dennis Darts now working for Yorkshire Line. Apart from the change of name there seems little difference from when I used to drive them in my brief period with Wightbus. Nice to see them still in useful service though as I always had a soft spot for the Darts.
Jeff Van Vrancken, Biological Technician, shows Col. Sal Nodjomian of the 96th Air Base Wing an Okaloosa darter.
Photographer: Paul Lang, USFWS.
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.
Black Darter Male.
iso 640.D800.Nikon 105mm f/2.8G AF-S VR Micro NIKKOR.
Copyright steve waterhouse .© .
i know i have taken loads of photos of these dragons, but i cant help myself, they have such happy faces and they do like to pose
Before China Motor Bus Company lost the franchise of Hong Kong buses at 1998 , It had 8 Dennis Dart 9.8 M to work on a airport route , route number A20 . After China Motor Bus Company lost the franchise of Hong Kong buses at 1998 , China Motor Bus Company keep these 8 Dennis Dart 9.8 M to work on a free shuttle bus route with another one Volvo B6LE . CX6 (GD5694) is the one of them .