Found in the garden

🦊 Anything to do with Wildlife in France, from insects to birds and moles.
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Sparkle
Posts: 1722
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2021 3:01 pm
Location: 53 Mayenne

Found in the garden

#251 Post by Sparkle »

Well, 2 weeks ago we heard a cat crying nearby. We saw a tiny wee thing on a garden wall opposite but by the time we'd got to it it had disappeared. Later that day on my walk I heard it again but in a different garden. Following day we saw it playing in our garden and disappearing into our barn. We bought some junior kitty food & biscuits and with a bowl of water it was all put in the barn. We've been feeding it several times a day and it's grown somewhat in 2 weeks. So we now have another kitty although it is timid and disappears around the wood & junk in the barn when we go in to feed it but as soon as we step out it's there feeding. It's seems so happy in our garden playing and bashing up the plants, jumping on and off of the wall and it's such a pleasure to watch how capable such a small thing is, it's instinct is soooo impressive and it's speedy. We're losing several hours a day just sitting and watching it play - we know when it arrives as the birds start chattering!
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elsie
Posts: 616
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:11 am

Found in the garden

#252 Post by elsie »

Several around the buddleia this morning.
I think this is a hummingbird clearwing Hemaris thysbe
snowberry clearwing moth 041.jpg
I failed to get a sharp photograph of a hummingbird hawk-moth
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exile
Posts: 1917
Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2021 9:57 pm
Location: Auvergne Rhone Alpes

Found in the garden

#253 Post by exile »

Had a bit of a surprise last night when I went into the kitchen in the grange (renovated but we still call it a grange). There helping itself to the cat biscuits was a hedgehog. It would normally have free access to food for around 18 hours per day and access to shelter 24/24 but I decided to leave the doors open so it now has 24/24 access to food.

elsie
Posts: 616
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:11 am

Found in the garden

#254 Post by elsie »

And a hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
hummingbird 420v.jpg
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Blaze
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Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2021 9:06 pm
Location: Ille et Villaine (35)

Found in the garden

#255 Post by Blaze »

elsie wrote: Sun Jul 31, 2022 11:18 am Several around the buddleia this morning.
I think this is a hummingbird clearwing Hemaris thysbe
I failed to get a sharp photograph of a hummingbird hawk-moth
Close but it's a Broad bordered bee hawkmoth (Hemaris fuciformis) - well caught Elsie !

exile
Posts: 1917
Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2021 9:57 pm
Location: Auvergne Rhone Alpes

Found in the garden

#256 Post by exile »

Yes I did not appreciate that there were two similar hawk moths until a couple of years ago when we had both side by side on the lavender. The bee hawk moth seems to me to be a little less refined and agile in its flight. Beautiful creatures both.

basquesteve
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Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 11:30 pm
Location: Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Found in the garden

#257 Post by basquesteve »

The three species of Hummingbird Hawkmoth The colour or lack of band on its abdomen helps ID
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Blaze
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Found in the garden

#258 Post by Blaze »

Well caught Steve, they're not easy to photograph !

basquesteve
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Location: Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Found in the garden

#259 Post by basquesteve »

Thanks they are very fast creatures (those pictures were taken over a 20 year period )

PS you can catch them roosting
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Blaze
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Found in the garden

#260 Post by Blaze »

Yes, I caught this one sunbathing on a wall :
Hummingbird hawkmoth.JPG
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