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My Favourite Wildlife Discovery - 2005


Pre Monier
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I know from reading the wildlife topics over the year, that many of us are delighting in finding so many new or long forgotten creatures here in France.  This got me wondering which discovery stood out most in your mind.   I know mine.   It was Gryollotalpa Gryollotalpa - a Mole Cricket or Grillon Taupe- only identified thanks to Chris at planetpassion because David and I had not a clue what it was.   

We were digging a hole in the front meadow and got to about a spade's delpth,  when this 'thing' powered out of one bank and straight across into the other.   So fast and so large!!   I thought it was about 4 inches but Chris tells me it could only be 2.5 at the most.   It had a thorax like a beetle, a body like a hornets and the most delicate wings - why they did not rip to shreads when it tore into the compressed earth, I'll never know? 

It seems that some years ago the BBC wanted to make a documentary about Mole Crickets in England but sadly could not find any and thought they could be extinct in the UK.    Happily we have at least one meadow with some in although subsequent sightings are fairly common, I have yet to see one quite as big as the first.   I'm sure it was 4 inches!!

Glynis

 

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I frightened something with my strimmer in the summer, I think it was a grasshopper but it was much bigger than the UK sort , about 2.5 -3 inches long and the most vivid lovely green I have ever seen, with long red antennae. Definitely more grasshopper than cricket, but I didn't see another one all summer only ordinary little grasshoppers.

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Viva - Just a quickie - what you saw was a sauterelle - Bush Cricket in English, quite a large number of species in France, only 10 species in the UK and not so common these days. Some of them are quite stunning and I am sure that many people in France have come across them.

I suppose I should say what my favourite discovery was this year,  this year was the first time that I have seen a Bluethroat (Gorgebleue à miroir), it's a bird by the way, you have to go either to the east of France or in my case to the Marais by the coast in either Vendee or Charente-Maritime. The bluethroat there is in fact a sub species in its own right Luscina svecica namnetum and is the subject of a conservation project.   Anyway, it is not the most easy bird in the world to see as it is very secretive, flights are always short and it disappears quickly back into the rushes where it sometimes walks briefly out in the open. It's robin sized with a bright blue throat patch, separated from its chest by black and chestnut bands.   Maybe not over exciting but different and worth seeing.

Happy new year,  Chris

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I think the most startling thing we've seen was a hoopoe. Just a single

one and seen about 3 times on the grassy drive next to the house. I

also found a huge  stag beetle - sadly, dead. I don't think they

are all that rare but this was the first time  I'd seen one. I

gave it to my daughter who is a biology teacher to add to her

collection.  Also another beetle which dropped out of the

computer, again dead. I think it was a rhinocerous beetle. Pat.

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oooo! Red kite fledgling! I was so excited when i first saw it fly with it's mum and dad!!!!

Or maybe the white magpie that has appeared this winter.

Scariest one was the baby mink caught by the dog! eek!!!

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  • 4 weeks later...
Late autumn, we found a fire salamander ambling peacefully across the building

rubble in front of the house. I knew they were around in this part of

Normandy (south Manche, near Sourdeval) but s/he was bigger (about 8 inches) than I

expected and the yellow striping was almost fluorescent.

What I really want to see is wild boar... though not too close, and definitely not with me between Ma and her offspring. [^o)]

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We had seen wild boar footprints in a trashed maize crop but last week saw some. At night in the field at the bottom of our garden were 10 wild boar they were not bothered by my hi-powered torch they were snuffling about eating the crop. I got to within twenty feet and watched them for a few minutes. They were all at least three feet tall and one was bigger still - it was the big one that grunted to the others to retreat. Amazing sight and so close.

Also so the lonely crane again today - standing in the snow at the edge of an apple orchard.

I have been told that they are bred on farms and released and this is why they are not scared of humans. I spoke to the vet today and he said it was because there were so many of them and that was why they were not scared.

I had taken my companion dog to the vets - and it was good news it turned out that Harry the 15 year old hound who had lost the use of his back legs in the last few days and had dark urine is not on his last legs. He has Limes disease and with the treatment should be better within a few days.

He is a very helpful vet and always sees me straight away without an appointment and by UK standards is not expensive.

So if you are near Perigueux and need a good vet who takes his time and explains things and speaks some English I heartily recommend:

Docteur Simeon,

247 Route d'Angouleme

0553 08 69 01
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I never want to see another wild boar again after having one run into

me while driving the van. It was like running into a block of concrete.

It happened at night and the creature just dashed out into the road as

if blind. Much damage to the van but was able to drive home. So keep

your eyes wide open while driving along quiet country roads in the

dark. Pat.

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Be glad you were in a van. It occasionally crosses my mind about the three sorts of deer and the boar as I blatt along on my motorcycle probably a little faster than your van.

I have hit a badger on a motorcycle and it was unpleasant for me but even more so for the badger who did not live to tell the tale. Even a pheasant in the ribs at a closing impact of 160kph hurts - I can assure you.

I can only say that from a motorcyclists experience do not swerve or brake over hard when something runs out - keep straight, it may or may not change direction - you may hit it - but if you do you have half a chance in a straight line and good chance of staying on the road.

Stay safe.
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I had 8 of these tiny and delightful little Goldfinches in my garden today, all came and went together after taking eating some seeds from some weeds we have in the garden. I have never seen these in the UK.

They really brighten up a dull winters day.

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[quote user="beryl"]

I had 8 of these tiny and delightful little Goldfinches in my garden today, all came and went together after taking eating some seeds from some weeds we have in the garden. I have never seen these in the UK.

They really brighten up a dull winters day.

[/quote]

Thats a great pic - how did you get it?
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We used to have a holiday house in the Scottish Highlands and there

were goldfinches there,  ( unless they were greenfinches.) Dog -

yes I think it's best to keep going straight if you see a creature

running out in front of your vehicle. The night it happened it was

raining and somehow a quick thought came that if I would put the brakes

on or swerve I would skid into the ditch. I don't think I killed the

sanglier but I bet it had a bad headache. Pat.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not so much my favorite, but last spring I opened our kitchen door one morning to let our chocky lab out for her early morning leek and there about 4 feet from the door was a thread of pine processionary catepillars about 18 inches long![+o(] I nearly wet me sell! Our dog had to cross her legs for a few minutes while I got a dustpan and brush to get them out and burned. We had seen and destroyed the cocoons in the trees in our garden, but these little sods had got through. They are NOT nice to either people or dogs! as a lot will know....

One of my favorites was the red squiggle that was leaning at an impossible angle to drink out of our pool and the thrill of sitting by our huge patio doors, having breakfast, in the lounge and watching the red squiggle running across the roof beam and across the top of the kitchen door then into the ivy. Lovely little things.

It's also lovely to see that the pipestrelle bat that is in our loft is still alive and squeeking when I just put him back into his box. Thank you Chris!

John.

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My favourite discovery last year was just about everything - first year here, flocks of finches and tits in the garden, buzzards over the valley we look over, red kites, wild boar and deer in OUR woods - OUR woods have wild boar and deer in them!  Owls at night, watching the bats in the evening, it's where to start really.  After living on the east London/Essex border, this is just the greatest.

Winter has been just about the best ever for me so much wildlife to see.

And red squirrels, they are a joy.

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  • 1 month later...

[quote user="Millymollymandy"]My best discovery is that my favourite bird, the Crested Tit, can be seen in Brittany. I was used to these pesky little birds all over my garden in Eastern France. To my delight I have now seen several in my garden. [:)][/quote]

I saw some crested tits in our garden in Normandie (Basse) and thought "What are those funny t*&s with odd heads?" and seeing the word "huppe" in my book I realised and thought "I've never seen those before".  I have since discovered that in the UK these birds are only seen in the Caledonian pine forests of Northern Scotland.  Yet another species we don't have in normal situations in the UK.

I have several exciting wildlife discoveries in terms of my experience in France:

  • A goshawk calling in our deciduous wood next to the house (only identified when I played the calls on a BIRDs DVD software programme on my computer - a spine chilling call)

  • A fire salamander in our friend's stopcock chamber

  • A red squirrel in our hazel trees (thought it was an autumnally coloured chestnut leaf at first)

  • Over 30 goldfish that must have arrived with some weeds that we didn't realise were there until 6 months later when my son proclaimed we have some fish in our pond

  • Probably a fouine only identified by the very definite ferret smell coming from our loft chamber plus lots of noise in the night as it ran around probably courting a mate

  • The terrifying call of a couple or three barn owls waking me in the night - I thought I was being attacked by a horde of evil spirits

Valerie

 

 

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  • 5 weeks later...

We are very fortunate where we live, we have an amazing array of wildlife. Resident bats, barn owls (who knock on our bedroom window at night!!), 3-4 deers, a Montegues harrier,buzzurds, hoopoes everyday, who also like to knock on our window, lizards, salamandas, snakes, small and BIG, "ragonidin"can't spell it english way, and last week during the day we saw something at the back of the pool terrace, we watched for a while and it turned out to be a large fox! He/she was very scruffy but stayed for about 1 hour. It was so nice to think, wow! he's in our garden.

I have to say that one of the best things about living here is all the amazing wildlife, One creature puzzles me though, and I am sure some of you may know what I mean. In our garden for 2 years on the run, we have found a SPIDER, he is about the size of a 50p, he is yellow and black and stripped like a wasp!! He was on a large web, Any ideas, is he dangerous, name etc??

Cheers, happy wildlife hunting

Vicky

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Hi Vicky,

According to my book your spider looks like a, wait for it, argiope bruennichi (wasp spider) and it's about 15mm. Typically the poor male is only about 4mm, I know how he feels. The web is about 30cm diameter and at ground level in the grass.

Have a look at this site  http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/Araneidae/Argiope/ArgiopeBruennichi.htm . After looking at the mating bit, WELL!

John.

P.S. Where abouts are you?

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[quote user="viva"]

I'd rather have this yellow and black spider in my garden  [;-)]

 

[/quote]

Hi Viva, your second name isn't Vauhhall pert etra?

Glad to be of help Vicky. The spider book we have has a picture of it on the back cover. So it took no time at all to find what it is!!

John.

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