Handsome Reptiles and Pretty Birds
It was pointed out to me that the 4th of October was World Animal day. Which I think is nice. Animals should have a day to themselves. Unfortunately, I'm not really one for celebrating 'days', or months come to think of it.
I like that there's a vodka, and also, a tequila day.
But 'round here, those days tend to fall with such monotonous regularity, that any thought of championing them would just come off as mere justifications for more overindulgence.
I'm joking of course, I flat out refuse to imbibe on any day that doesn't start with a consonant.
I do celebrate other things though - and guess who came back to help me?.
If you guessed Jesus, I'm afraid you'll need to guess again. Look it's been 2000yrs, honestly, if I haven't heard from someone for a month or two - I just assume they've died, (which can make going to the pub a bit bloody jarring ...).
So no, it wasn't our lord and saviour - or any of the many, many dead people I seem to have lost recently. It was this handsome critter.
And while the guessing games are fun, (You know?, like 'Have I had three shots or eight?'), I'm 99% sure this is a Northern tree snake. It may not be, and I suppose I should've had a peek underneath to count some scales - but I didn't, and frankly with the Green and Northern tree snakes, even that's not always foolproof.
Then there was this fellow, back in the day - being all look at me!, as if runnin' around on my kitchen window wasn't quite, showy enough!.
There are plenty of predators in these here parts, just waiting for an opportunity to pounce on the distracted and/or otherwise engaged. TBH, the interplay between predators and their prey is fascinating. And ya don't need to book a trip to the Serengeti to observe it either.
A quiet walk around your own, or someone else's garden, will often be - well, rewarded, isn't quite the right word, but you get my meaning.
Go on, bugger off and have a look yaself. No, no - I'll wait, (we're not waiting - they'll just have to catch up).
The sunbirds above are also known as the Allied, or Olive-backed sunbird. So that's fun. What is far more interesting, is that in the second photo, she is carrying the leg of a Golden orb-weaver spider. A spider that has been recorded eating sunbrids who get caught in their powerful webs. I have to wonder though, is it a case of the birds simply blundering into the spider's web?, or are the birds occasionally on the losing end of a battle with the spiders that the birds, themselves, have instigated?.
Sunbirds also use spider silk to help construct their nests - if you're going to use such material, why not use the strongest around?. I suspect the relationship between the two species is far more complex than I'd previously thought, or even, considered.
So ya know what I'm gonna do?. I'm going to write a little side mission for myself, (shout out to all you groovy gamers out there), and see if I can't find any evidence of my suspicions having some merit.
Take care
I like that there's a vodka, and also, a tequila day.
But 'round here, those days tend to fall with such monotonous regularity, that any thought of championing them would just come off as mere justifications for more overindulgence.
I'm joking of course, I flat out refuse to imbibe on any day that doesn't start with a consonant.
I do celebrate other things though - and guess who came back to help me?.
If you guessed Jesus, I'm afraid you'll need to guess again. Look it's been 2000yrs, honestly, if I haven't heard from someone for a month or two - I just assume they've died, (which can make going to the pub a bit bloody jarring ...).
So no, it wasn't our lord and saviour - or any of the many, many dead people I seem to have lost recently. It was this handsome critter.
And while the guessing games are fun, (You know?, like 'Have I had three shots or eight?'), I'm 99% sure this is a Northern tree snake. It may not be, and I suppose I should've had a peek underneath to count some scales - but I didn't, and frankly with the Green and Northern tree snakes, even that's not always foolproof.
Then there was this fellow, back in the day - being all look at me!, as if runnin' around on my kitchen window wasn't quite, showy enough!.
 |
| Common house Gecko being anything but |
There are plenty of predators in these here parts, just waiting for an opportunity to pounce on the distracted and/or otherwise engaged. TBH, the interplay between predators and their prey is fascinating. And ya don't need to book a trip to the Serengeti to observe it either.
A quiet walk around your own, or someone else's garden, will often be - well, rewarded, isn't quite the right word, but you get my meaning.
Go on, bugger off and have a look yaself. No, no - I'll wait, (we're not waiting - they'll just have to catch up).
 |
| Carlia hidden in the leaf-litter |
 |
| Yellow-bellied sunbird bringing lunch |
During the breeding season, dedicated blossom/nectar feeders like the Sunbird become predatory to provide protein for their growing young
 |
| ... one leg at a time |
The sunbirds above are also known as the Allied, or Olive-backed sunbird. So that's fun. What is far more interesting, is that in the second photo, she is carrying the leg of a Golden orb-weaver spider. A spider that has been recorded eating sunbrids who get caught in their powerful webs. I have to wonder though, is it a case of the birds simply blundering into the spider's web?, or are the birds occasionally on the losing end of a battle with the spiders that the birds, themselves, have instigated?.
Sunbirds also use spider silk to help construct their nests - if you're going to use such material, why not use the strongest around?. I suspect the relationship between the two species is far more complex than I'd previously thought, or even, considered.
 |
| You can see the wispy traces of spider webs on her nest |
So ya know what I'm gonna do?. I'm going to write a little side mission for myself, (shout out to all you groovy gamers out there), and see if I can't find any evidence of my suspicions having some merit.
Take care
If you've made it this far - congratulations!. And if you're also interested in predators and their prey, I re-discovered this post Brown tree snake preying on sunbirds, as the title says, it's all about some predation - taking place, quite literally, right on our doorstep.
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