Tuesday 12 June 2012

one MOTHER of a housefly??

When shown the specimen in the photo below, my first reaction was, " What is THAT?!?!  It looks like  one MOTHER of a housefly!!!"



I was interested to know what this curiously large insect was and began to wonder if it could, by any chance, be a cicada.  I had only ever HEARD cicadas on a warm summer's day but had never SEEN one.  So,  I did what any 'connected' city-dwelling girl would do......I started to search online for the answer.. 





I would conclude that this IS a cicada.........if I'm wrong, please let me know!

Wednesday 6 June 2012

A Tragic Ending

Over the past few weeks I have had the privilege of observing bird activity...the type that leaves you in awe of creation while asking the question, "How?" as in,  "How do the birds know how and where to make nests when they are not taught?

A robin decided to build her nest here:  (between the wall and a downspout right under the roof).


Did you know that robins only lay ONE egg per day? 
This particular robin laid three eggs in total and had been diligently caring for the eggs, making sure that they were kept warm enough. 

I was keeping an eye on the nest eagerly awaiting the first signs of fledglings when one evening the mother robin was found frantically chirping up a storm. She was obviously distressed because of this:


It was a sad discovery.
The suspect: A raccoon. 

Hopefully the robin will be able to produce another brood before the Autumn (they can produce up to three broods per year).


Here's a handy-dandy link for more info on robins.