Before I got enjoyable engrossed into #30DaysWild, I was posting about my wildlife experiences from my holiday in Australia. February feels like such a long time ago, but I had the good fortune to be able to photograph many different species of wildlife. I have posted most of what I wanted to share with you, but I have two blogs remaining (including this one).
When I was heading out to Australia one of the things I most wanted to do, was find as many different species of Ant as possible. I knew there was some wonderfully unique species to be found on the continent, I also knew that there’s only so much you can see in 2 weeks! I was careful during my searches, as I knew that there were some species to keep a respectful and safe distance!
I was thrilled to see the different species and to witnessed them go about their business. With fascination I watched them forage, feed, fight and preen! Sadly I was not successful with my photos of the bright iridescently green ants. But I do keep re-watching the preening ant video, it looks almost like it is playing shadow puppets!
This idea was inspired by a friend, he has always like to give ants a crumbled biscuit or a gummy sweet. Now it is something I do myself.
In the last few months I have been watching the ants on my doorstep. I have given them a few crumbs and sweets, but nothing has taken their fancy. In the last few days the ants have been very busy opening out the soil at the entrance area of the nest. They are clearly getting ready for ‘flying ant day’! I have even seen the winged ants at the opening of the nest. But it has not been easy for them, in the evening of the last two days there have been huge thunderstorms. The accompanying rain has destroyed the ants hard work, so I want to give them a little treat but I don’t know what they like. So today I decided to try and find out what type of food these ants might favour.
I picked out 8 foods that I already had in my kitchen, 3 savoury items and 5 sweet: Ham and Beef meat paste, cream cheese, a crumbled monster munch, honey, bramble jelly, apricot jam, marmalade and a piece of pear. I put a sample of each along a piece of card complete with label. I wanted to make sure I could see which food the ants visited and clean it all up afterwards.
No sooner did I put the samples down, the ants were on the food investigating! I will admit, I hadn’t really thought about how to record the results so my notes aren’t very scientific. But my goal was simple, find the ants favourite food and have fun watching them!
The first food to be visited was the bramble jelly, but the most interest was shown to the marmalade and apricot jam. There was some interest was taken in the meat paste too. The cream cheese and monster munch was investigated, but not touched. The honey and pear where completely ignored!
After about 15minutes I sat back to leave the ants be, I reached for the most appropriate of my new graphic novels, Ant Man!
I didn’t want to leave the food unattended, I wanted to make sure that no other passing animal took advantage, but also to be there should something change. I would read for a short while then check on the ants then go back to reading , I did this over the next hour and a half. I saw the meat paste and marmalade were revisited and that the pear was inspected once! In total, 4 ants walked over the monster munch, only to thoroughly preen and clean themselves afterwards. I would say at this point that the marmalade was most popular, the apricot jam came in second, third was the bramble jelly and the meat paste was fourth. The cream cheese, honey and pear all but ignored!
I wondered if the monster munch was too pungent for the ants, so I moved the card with the crumbs and pear to one side. I slide the card with the rest of the food up along the step, to be closer to the nest entrance. Renewed interest was shown.
Marmalade was a huge hit! A lot of ants spent time feeding on the sweet orange food. The honey was now of interest too. The cream cheese was still ignored! This time when the ants found the meat paste, they tucked in!
I watched for another 45 minutes. I would say that this time the meat paste and marmalade came a joint first, the apricot came second, bramble jelly third and honey finally making an appearance in fourth!
One additional insect made an appearance to caste their vote, a marmalade hoverfly landed on the apricot jam for a snack!
I would have liked to have continued for longer but for the third day in a row a thunderstorm hit and I had to retreat indoors. By this time I have spent over 2 hours watching the ants (I didn’t read as much of my comic as I thought I would!). I would do this again, but with a few changes. For the sake of the ants, I wouldn’t use monster munch or any other crisp type snack. For my sake I wouldn’t use the cream cheese. While taking photos and videos I managed to get covered in the stuff! Yuck!
I got a great deal of pleasure from just taking the time to watch these amazing tiny creatures. Ants are absolutely fascinating to observe!
Wow, the weather was both fierce and changeable today! A thunder storm in the morning and then in the afternoon. Small moments of blue skies followed by downpour after downpour! I am not ashamed to say that I stayed in the warm and dry of my house.
I sat and watched the birds visiting the bird feeders, yesterday’s fledgling visitor returned with another young friend. Sheltering in the feeder when the storms passed over, hunkering down while continuing to munch!
It was a lot of fun making this model, I wanted to build more. I decided to change things up a bit. I went about making a red ant and a black garden ant. I used my own photos as reference and adapted the original plans.
It was fun to get a little creative, take a closer look at these tiny creatures. See the little details of an individual ant.
I stopped today to admire the grandeur of an old oak tree, yet it was the little tiny lives being lived on the bark that got my full attention.
The whole trunk was alive, from the ants heaving their heavy prey to their nest, to the ladybird larvae wandering cross the cracks in the bark and the weavil who eyed me with care as I took its portrait. It was a marvel!
I was only with the tree 10 minutes but I was blown away by the diversity of life that was supported by the bark of the tree trunk. So much more life in the branches and leaves above that I can only imagine!
I love to watch ants. Their toing-and-froing, busy foraging explorations and searching antennas!
The details of what they are doing can’t always be seen, but that is where I am grateful for macro-lens technology.
Spotting a newly formed entrance to a nest I could see these ants hard at work. Putting my camera down at their level I got to see just how hard they were working. Huge mouthfuls of sand being excavated and carried away.
Not only do I find it fascinating to watch, but I find the motion of ants going about their daily lives relaxing. I also find myself thankful that I don’t have to lift such weights, especially by just my jaw!
Ants might seems such tiny animals, but when I see them like this, I am struck with awe!
As it is National Insect Week, I thought I would try and mark the occasion by following a bug theme. Today’s bug, Ants!
I love ants! I don’t think we appreciate them enough! That’s why today I decided to get down on their level and spend some time watching them on their march to and fro! I shot this video on a gravel path next to a car park. This hive of frenetic activity is at such a low level that it went completely unnoticed by the people around me.
It also gave me time to reflect on the book I have been reading “Journey to the ants”.
Such fascinating creatures, I have truly revelled in today! I may just have to do this again (and again, and again)!
I wasn’t feeling very adventurous today, but I did need to get some supplies. A trip to the supermarket was in order and maybe I’ll find somewhere green to visit along the way.
Parking up I noticed a magpie and a jay perched up in the trees surrounding the car park. As I got out the car I saw two jackdaws were on the ground nearby searching for scraps.
Walking to the shop, I passed a flowering bush covered with bees. Pausing to admire the busy little pollinators, I heard the iconic ‘witter-wit, witter-wit’ of a goldfinch high up on the tree next to me. That made me smile, I had found the ‘wild’ on a routine visit to the supermarket!
But the wild didn’t stop there! On leaving the shop I saw house sparrows, a pied wagtail, tiny ants toing-and-froing across the pavement, a speedy little wolf spider making a dash across my path, a brightly coloured hoverfly visiting some rogue daisies and most surprising of all, a bee fly!
I never imagined that a simple trip to the supermarket would turn into such a wildlife safari!
Today begins 30 Days Wild and I have been so excited about this!
I got to submit my first record to the Great British Bee Count, a lovely little Tawny Mining Bee!
I also decided to begin a wildlife diary, last year it only lasted the length of June, but maybe I’ll keep it going longer this year!
There’s something else I’m excited about, I’ve been saving it for today. I’m going to begin the book “Journey to the Ants”. Having long admired it, I was given it for my birthday. Wanting to savour its every page, I put next to my bed until I would have time to fully appreciate it! I got to say, I am grinning from ear to ear with anticipation, so if you’ll excuse me, I have a book to begin!
As I was leaving work, I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to have a wild moment, a Red Kite flew overhead. Not something seen there until about 2 months ago. Exciting to see!
Then when I got home, I came across this beauty waiting for me on my front door!
Day 23 – Ox eye daisy
In May I planted an Ox eye daisy plant, today it finally flowered! I took a photo because I clearly wasn’t the only one enjoying the new bloom.
Day 24 – Burt
While out and about at work today, one of the very tame resident Robins came to say hello! I call them all Burt – after Burt Ward. If you’re really lucky, they sometimes come and feed from your hand!
Day 25 – An unusual view of a moth
Today I had the chance to admire a very pretty moth. It had landed on a window, so I was able to not only see the top of the moth but also the underside of it. I think those eyes are amazing!
Day 13 was my last day at work before a long weekend. I must admit to having been rather tired before my short break, so I am glad that this was the day where the ‘wild’ came to me and my friends. As we had lunch, a little sparrow came to investigate what we were up to. Very sweet!
Day 14 – Socks!
This was a time to relax and chill. I thought some gardening would be a good idea, so I popped outside to get some of the overgrowth a little under control. I got to watch the ants and bees go about their business all the way up till I nearly cut the top of my finger off with secateurs!
I was never one for being green fingered!
In honour of “Pull your socks up for wildlife” my friend Bex and I put our favourite wildlife socks on. Turns out we both loves bees!
And one final but important note, Happy Birthday Bex!!!
lulovelock 