Wildlife

Love that woodpecker. We don't have those here unfortunately.

The great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) has an extensive range across Eurasia. It can be found from the British Isles to Japan, and in North Africa from Morocco to Tunisia.

However, we do have more than our share of woodpeckers here in the Big Thicket wildlife preserve. Pileated woodpeckers are fairly common and often mistaken for the Ivory-billed woodpecker which many believe is extinct. Personally, I do not believe it is extinct but that is a different rabbit trail. I don't have the cameras for it but will get a shot of the pileated woodpecker if I can. They are huge, beautiful birds.
 

Cockchafer soup - Wikipedia

According to a French recipe from the 1800s, a batch of cockchafer soup requires 500 grams of the insect with their legs and wings removed. They are fried in butter, then cooked in a chicken or veal broth. The soup can be strained and eaten as a boullion, or crushed cockchafers can be mixed with egg yolk and roux.
 
According to a French recipe from the 1800s, a batch of cockchafer soup requires 500 grams of the insect with their legs and wings removed. They are fried in butter, then cooked in a chicken or veal broth. The soup can be strained and eaten as a boullion, or crushed cockchafers can be mixed with egg yolk and roux.

Yeah, so I'll pass on that course, thank you!
 
@Sheal what kind of lens are you using to get zoomed in on the woodpeckers like that?

@Mr_Yan this is one of two cameras I have, a Canon SX50. In Britain we know it as a Bridge camera and has a prime lens. I couldn't afford a telephoto lens for my DSLR so bought this to fill the gap some years ago. It can take scenery shots up to 50 miles distant. It 'bridges' the gap between the two. It's only drawback is an electronic viewfinder which is slow to adjust - frustrating when trying to photograph anything moving at speed. I prefer to use the screen now as I'm aging, it's easier on the eyes ;)

It has all the normal adjustments and if running on automatic will adjust as necessary. It switched to Macro for the beetle and I just zoomed in for the woodpecker.



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Oh deer it looks like it has antlers. :)

The French eat some pretty strange things. I can't say I'm keen on things that are crunchy on the outside. :sick:

It uses them to smell things Sheal :)

Fast Facts. Common cockchafer males can easily be distinguished from the females by counting the number of 'leaves' on their remarkable antler-like antennae, males sport seven 'leaves' while females have only six. These leafy antennae can detect pheromones, enabling males to find females even in the dark!
 
this is one of two cameras I have, a Canon SX50. In Britain we know it as a Bridge camera and has a prime lens.
:ROFLMAO: yeah that reminds me I have a dedicated digital camera. Infact it's the little brother to this one, or just older - model number something like SX530HS. I haven't used that one in years.

Tip - use "sport" or "active" mode whenever trying to take a pic of a toddler. They never stay still for anything with a longer image capture.
 
Tetters found a beetle called Rosemary today :)

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From the Wildlife Trust's website ; (Source : https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/beetles/rosemary-beetle)

These brightly coloured beetles are a common sight in many parks and gardens across the UK. As the name suggests, they feed on the leaves of herbs including rosemary, thyme, and lavender. They can often be found in large numbers on their host plants. They feed busily in spring, but become less active in the warmest months of mid summer. They start feeding again in late summer, when females lay tiny, sausage-shaped eggs on the underside of the leaves. After hatching, the grey, slug-like larvae also feed on the leaves of herbs. When they're fully grown, the larvae travel down the plant and into the soil to pupate. They emerge as adults in spring, ready to start the cycle all over again. Adults can be present all year.

Rosemary beetles have not always been found in the UK. They are native to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The shipping of herbs around Europe has helped them spread to new countries. The first rosemary beetle in the UK was found in Cheshire in 1963, then three more were discovered in Surrey in 1994. After that they quickly spread and became common around London. Now they are found widely across all countries of the UK.
 
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