A Bug for Dan

[Dan From Smithville]

Karen had snapper and I had blue-eye cod

Australasian snapper - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Hyperoglyphe antarctica - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I'm unfamiliar with either of those. I take it the choice was personal preference?

In reading through the descriptions, I noticed with interest that the blue-eyed cod feeds considerably on tunicates. I'm not well-versed on my marine invertebrates, but reading further I see it is a chordate making it distantly related to us vertebrates. Of course, the creationist view is that there is no relationship as all those things were created as they are by magic.

 

[John53]

I'm unfamiliar with either of those. I take it the choice was personal preference?

In reading through the descriptions, I noticed with interest that the blue-eyed cod feeds considerably on tunicates. I'm not well-versed on my marine invertebrates, but reading further I see it is a chordate making it distantly related to us vertebrates. Of course, the creationist view is that there is no relationship as all those things were created as they are by magic.

I got her snapper the other day and she wanted it again, I got the blue eye because I'd never heard of it and thought I'd give it a try. It was good. The lady at the co-op said they'd caught it as by catch while targeting something else.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I got her snapper the other day and she wanted it again, I got the blue eye because I'd never heard of it and thought I'd give it a try. It was good. The lady at the co-op said they'd caught it as by catch while targeting something else.

That is one of the benefits of living near a coast. Fresh seafood.

I'm about 500 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, 1000 miles to the east coast and 1700 miles to the west coast.

Both are new to me. But from your statements and what I have read, they both are described as very tasty.

 

[John53]

That is one of the benefits of living near a coast. Fresh seafood.

I'm about 500 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, 1000 miles to the east coast and 1700 miles to the west coast.

Both are new to me. But from your statements and what I have read, they both are described as very tasty.

I'm lucky in that respect. Seafood straight from the trawler, can't get any fresher. Well what's left after most of it gets exported to Japan.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I'm lucky in that respect. Seafood straight from the trawler, can't get any fresher. Well what's left after most of it gets exported to Japan.

My graduate advisor always claimed that the coast was the only reasonable place to get seafood. I have no choice but to rely on modern shipping methods and speed.

Are you familiar with kites? The birds. A friend on social media has had three Mississippi kites hanging around his house for the last few days. I've never seen living specimens or in the wild myself. I'm not sure where he lives, but I have this urge to find out so I can have a look myself.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

@John53, I meant to ask how you were feeling. I recall you mentioned coming down with something.

 

[John53]

@John53, I meant to ask how you were feeling. I recall you mentioned coming down with something.

I'm over it but Karen has caught it now. And I'm familiar with Kites, we have 2 species that I see almost daily, Brahminy and Whistling Kites. Also occasional visits from Black-shouldered Kites and White-bellied Sea-eagles are technically in the Kite family despite the misleading name. I'll post some pictures when I get home.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I'm over it but Karen has caught it now. And I'm familiar with Kites, we have 2 species that I see almost daily, Brahminy and Whistling Kites. Also occasional visits from Black-shouldered Kites and White-bellied Sea-eagles are technically in the Kite family despite the misleading name. I'll post some pictures when I get home.

Sorry to hear about Karen, but glad it isn't anything more serious.

Those are pretty birds. I wasn't sure about your fauna, but I wondered if Australia had any of that group.

 

[John53]

Sorry to hear about Karen, but glad it isn't anything more serious.

Those are pretty birds. I wasn't sure about your fauna, but I wondered if Australia had any of that group.

I forgot black and square-tailed Kites

 

[John53]

Those are pretty birds. I wasn't sure about your fauna, but I wondered if Australia had any of that group.

Brahminy Kites are one of my pet projects. All the bird books from the 70's and 90's show their southern range to be the Queensland/New South Wales border. Then 10 years ago my friend found a pair breeding about 250klm north of me, well inside NSW. Then 6 years ago I found a pair breeding not far from my place which at the time was the southern most breeding record and the new range now included my area (Port Stephens). Now they've been reported breeding 300klm to the south of me. They're one of the more common birds of prey around here now.

What interests me is why their range is expanding so quickly. Climate change maybe? I did find a report from AJ Campbell an Ornithologist in the late 1800's and early 1900's who recorded them breeding around the Hunter Estuary which is only 20 minutes to the south of me and another researcher dug up sightings of them from Sydney during the early 1800's. So perhaps they are just moving back into areas they were driven out of by European settlement. Unfortunately the early reports have to be taken with a grain of salt, Campbell seems to have had a grudge against John Gould and went out of his way to prove Gould wrong even if it meant bending the facts.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Brahminy Kites are one of my pet projects. All the bird books from the 70's and 90's show their southern range to be the Queensland/New South Wales border. Then 10 years ago my friend found a pair breeding about 250klm north of me, well inside NSW. Then 6 years ago I found a pair breeding not far from my place which at the time was the southern most breeding record and the new range now included my area (Port Stephens). Now they've been reported breeding 300klm to the south of me. They're one of the more common birds of prey around here now.

What interests me is why their range is expanding so quickly. Climate change maybe? I did find a report from AJ Campbell an Ornithologist in the late 1800's and early 1900's who recorded them breeding around the Hunter Estuary which is only 20 minutes to the south of me and another researcher dug up sightings of them from Sydney during the early 1800's. So perhaps they are just moving back into areas they were driven out of by European settlement. Unfortunately the early reports have to be taken with a grain of salt, Campbell seems to have had a grudge against John Gould and went out of his way to prove Gould wrong even if it meant bending the facts.

Of the kites you mentioned, the Brahminy was my favorite. Just personal aesthetics, rather than biological consideration.

What do they eat? Are they specialists on anything?

I'm fascinated by what you are doing. I've had my own interest in seeing them, but how fortunate that I stumbled into your interest in these. I'm like many people that find birds of prey to be interesting, but I've always been interested in some of the smaller and/or less frequently encountered species.

Once, by pure luck, I chanced to observe a norther harrier slowly flying back and forth over a large prairie remnant tucked in between a number of fishing ponds in a local conservation area. I was able to spend some time watching it weave back and forth over the tall grass. I thought it was pretty spectacular to watch it hunt.

 

[John53]

Of the kites you mentioned, the Brahminy was my favorite. Just personal aesthetics, rather than biological consideration.

What do they eat? Are they specialists on anything?

I'm fascinated by what you are doing. I've had my own interest in seeing them, but how fortunate that I stumbled into your interest in these. I'm like many people that find birds of prey to be interesting, but I've always been interested in some of the smaller and/or less frequently encountered species.

Once, by pure luck, I chanced to observe a norther harrier slowly flying back and forth over a large prairie remnant tucked in between a number of fishing ponds in a local conservation area. I was able to spend some time watching it weave back and forth over the tall grass. I thought it was pretty spectacular to watch it hunt.

They're mostly fish eaters. They steal a lot from cormorants and other BoP's.

 

[John53]

Seems yesterdays pics have gone missing in the crash. Here's a couple from today, some aphids on a citrus and what might be a Plecia Amplipennis that was on my peas. I'm guessing they named themselves? When I googled it, it kept suggesting Lovebug from the Americas, not sure if they're related.

Photos of Plecia amplipennis · iNaturalist Australia

inaturalist.ala.org.au

 

[ChristineM]

I came across this little fella on my walk today. About 2 to 2.5 inches long, he flew in, paused a few seconds and flew away.

 

[John53]

@Dan From Smithville Here's a curl grub I found while digging the garden. I'm pretty sure they turn into some kind of scarab but I have no idea what. Would be about 25-30mm if stretched out.

 

[John53]

No idea what this is. There has been a lot of them around the last week. We've had unseasonably warm winter weather, getting up into the high 20's C.

Edit: Maybe a type of Crane Fly, Limnophilinae?

 

[Dan From Smithville]

No idea what this is. There has been a lot of them around the last week. We've had unseasonably warm winter weather, getting up into the high 20's C.

Edit: Maybe a type of Crane Fly, Limnophilinae?

View attachment 80336

I'm pretty sure you are correct about the group. Crane fly.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

@Dan From Smithville Here's a curl grub I found while digging the garden. I'm pretty sure they turn into some kind of scarab but I have no idea what. Would be about 25-30mm if stretched out.

View attachment 80266View attachment 80267

Great pictures! My favorite group, if I haven't mentioned that dozens of times already. Couldn't begin to tell what group of scarabs, but definitely a scarab grub.

 

[Audie]

My graduate advisor always claimed that the coast was the only reasonable place to get seafood. I have no choice but to rely on modern shipping methods and speed.

Are you familiar with kites? The birds. A friend on social media has had three Mississippi kites hanging around his house for the last few days. I've never seen living specimens or in the wild myself. I'm not sure where he lives, but I have this urge to find out so I can have a look myself.

Black kites are the iconic bird of
Hong Kong

 

[John53]

Tisiphone abeona, Swordgrass Brown (I hope). An old pic from a few years ago... I find all the fake eyes interesting.