Hazards of Butterflying

[Charles Nicol]

Yes that is one scary moggie

Charles

[KeynvorLogosenn]

I happen to think that it's quite cute... or am I alone on this one?

My hazard is Foxes, I have to be careful when they have young because they get very defensive. But otherwise if they come too close I just yell at them and they run away I think that they just want a sniff, but I don't want a bite.
And also we have loads of big feral rats, hence why I bring Harry down with me. He loves it, and I don't have to worry about rats running around.
I don't think anyones mentioned rats, is this a problem for anyone else?

Em

[Chris Pickford]

Rats....don't talk to me about them!

I am doing battle with one at the moment (name of Basil) with a body about 20 cms long. He has eaten the contents of my mothtrap once or twice, takes bait out of a normal rat trap and is never caught, and is too fat to get into a captive trap I have.
I shot one of his ancestors, but unfortunately someone has planted a house where there was a field and I can't now take random pot shots.

I do have an enormous tomcat who is a serious mouser, but he chooses retreat over injury now after an unfortunate brush with basil a couple of months ago which led to a few vet's visits!

Chris

[Shirley Roulston]

Emily, I should have said Free to a Good Home or any home good or not.
Shirley P.S. Nick, Perhaps you could bring Basil over here.

[KeynvorLogosenn]

Yeah! I'd take the kitty
It doesn't seem all that bad though, even though the photos were taken from a distance, where you wouldn't be directly threatening the cat.

I can tell from the first one, (it's the easiest for me to make out). Natural stance, relexed but alert, also looking fairly 'proud' of defending it's teritory. Head held high, dominant, alert, confident. Ears to the side, not 100% sure of meeting you, still wary, the ears are straight too, it's interested, not threatened. Tail held almost natural, relaxed, but it suggest to me that it would turn suddenly to defend. So overall, a very assertive cat.

Funny you should mention that you have a Feral problem. There's one around my neighbourhood. We live near woods and fields, so it's perfect for a feral. It's teritory is where I like to butterfly. When I first entered the field it was there hissing at me. So you just stare straight at it, say nothing. Don't blink. It will be intimiated and should run off. I have a dominant stance anyway, because of the dominace over my cats at home, I just know what stance to take. Over time, I toned down my agressive stance and stare, to a softer, but still dominate one. Now it lets me stroke it, and follows me. Easy. I should be a cat whisperer

Harry and I will come along and sort Basil out for you Chris!

Em

[Charles Nicol]

Hi Keynvor

Could you send us a photo of you doing your dominant stance ?

Charles

[KeynvorLogosenn]

Why have you got a kitty problem too?

(doesn't work for rats by the way , I'm fine with domestic ones, some friends have them, and I'm more than happy to walk around with one of my shoulder)

Em

Edit: Dominate Stance: You make your self slightly bigger, taller, what's hard is you have to have a 'high posture', but look down on your kitty. Humans hardly notice, it works with cats. The dominate, Alpha can always be spotted in a pact or pride because of their behaviour. You just copy it. You can clearly tell I am Alpha when walking down the road or lanes with my cats, they will never walk in front of me, always lower their head slightly when approaching me etc.

[Jack Harrison]

This might sound funny, but was far from it.

Devils Dyke near Newmarket. Golden Labrador bounds round from behind bush followed by another. Leaps up at me and hits me (with nose or paw, not sure) in the left you-know-where. (It was still aching an hour later). I was almost knocked to the ground. Dog owner followed and I politely but in no uncertain terms, told him to keep his dogs under control. “He was only being friendly” he snarled. To which I replied “Well, I don’t like that”. His response “You R’sole!” I’m still not quite sure what I did wrong other than to make it clear that he should control his dogs better.

Of course, had I kicked that dog in the b-lls that would quite rightly have constituted cruelty to an animal. But it seems that a dog can hurt me with impunity. I can’t of course “sue” a dog but – and of course this would impossible to prove– was that dog owner technically guilty of assault? After last autumn’s episode when injury sustained after I tripped resulted in hospitalization, I am not surprisingly, a bit nervous of being knocked to the ground – not an unreasonable concern for a 70 year old. (Recall that the Police can’t get away with knocking people to the ground)

Sadly, the dog owners have won. Quite simply I will avoid that section of Devils Dyke. But the amount of dog mess makes it unpleasant enough in any case.

However, not all dog people are as unpleasant. I was trying to photograph an Orange Tip and a lady with dog clearly saw what I was doing. Her dog ran towards me but stopped well short. At that moment, the Orange Tip flew off (nothing to do with the dog). The dog lady said: “Sorry about that” thinking that her dog was responsible.

Jack

[NickB]

Why have you got a kitty problem too?

Yes - A Very Hungry Cat!
Adopted us and makes himself at home!

What can I do?

[m_galathea]

Give it to Jack, it'll keep him safe at Devil's Dyke

[eccles]

Worse than boisterous dogs are their stupid ignorant owners. "He's only being friendly" is sometimes nothing of the sort. Jumping up on a person may be innocuous, but it could also be a dog's attempt at asserting pack leader status, and an owner who fails to recognise this could end up in a lot of trouble if their pet turns on someone.
ALL dogs in public places are required by law to be under close control, but until the law is enforced then it is useless.

[Rogerdodge]

I had a fabulous time last weekend in Marsland Wood on the Devon/Cornwall border - a beautiful and peaceful place, and well into my Top 5 of UK butterfly sites.
So, why do dog owners feel the need to display their little bags of s**t and hang it on bushes. It is NOT there to be collected later, as some has been there for weeks.
Also, here we have a Nature Reserve with ground nesting birds and sensitive small mammals, and great hulking, slobbering, clumsy (or tiny, yappy, ferocious) dogs running off of leads - madness and selfishness.
A well trained dog/owner combination is a fine thing - but too rare in my opinion.
I would advocate banning dogs from Nature Reserves or sensitive areas. They are banned from beaches in Cornwall (due to thier own short-sightedness and selfishness) and it works really well. Let's extend it.
Roger
(Ooops - probably upset half the folk on this site...........or at least those that are not a "well trained dog/owner combination" anyway.)

[Dave McCormick]

I was at a country park two weeks ago and I saw a burnt out car frame and a crushed up car, blocking enterance to a flowery meadow.

I had a fabulous time last weekend in Marsland Wood on the Devon/Cornwall border - a beautiful and peaceful place, and well into my Top 5 of UK butterfly sites.
So, why do dog owners feel the need to display their little bags of s**t and hang it on bushes. It is NOT there to be collected later, as some has been there for weeks.

I saw the same thing at the country park I was at.

Also this place seems to be dumping ground for people. The small lake there is full of rubbish at one end, ugh. This place its a prime location for DG Fritillaries, Small Coppers, Common Blues and Burnet moths, but its akward to get to parts of it because of burnt out car remains and rubbish.

There are people who come here with dogs, but most are friendly with those and understand people like me taking photos. Its the ones who come with dirt bikes and "rake about" which don't seem to care so much. There has been complaints in past from residents living near this area about the noise from the bikes, but little has been done to stop it. Usually when I am photographing butterflies, its ok, sometimes you get a few bikers around, but the thing to watch out for is the broken bottles that, I presume, teens have left about the place.

Its a nice area this place, just sometimes it seems otherwise what with the stuff I saw last time I was there. I used to come to this place when I was a kid, every year I have been since and it seems less and less nice at times.

[Charles Nicol]

i put pics of filth from my butterfly expeditions on flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/732440@N23/


it helps to reduce my rage

[m_galathea]

That is rather an odd looking group you've made there Charles! Have you cleared up any of the rubbish you have photographed?

Alexander

[Padfield]

In Switzerland there was recently much talk of introducing a dog permit for those acquiring new dogs (those of us who already have dogs would be exempt), in the interests of animal welfare as much as anything else. It was to be rather like passing a driving test, with a theory element (about dog nutrition, exercise requirements, the law &c.) and a practical test. In my canton it was supposed to have been introduced last September but I haven't heard anything about it and I don't know if it got off the ground. There was some opposition but speaking as one half of a well-trained dog-human partnership I think it is an excellent idea which would go far towards preventing the kind of polarisation into 'doggies' and 'non-doggies' that happens so easily when people (and their dogs) get on each others' nerves.

In England things are not helped by the fact there are too many people and not enough space. All groups - bikers, dog-walkers, hikers, hunters, photographers and, of course, the wildlife - are competing for the same limited resources.

Guy

EDIT: For the francophones, I have found this article:

http://www.24heures.ch/vaud/actu/permis ... 2009-02-16

It seems the dog course and test have not had a successful introduction.

[Matsukaze]

Dogs also can cause problems for the livestock grazing sensitive butterfly sites and the farmers can be reluctant to risk their stock. On one of the reserves in the Poldens being got into condition for the Large Blue, there were a few goats killed last summer by out-of-control dogs. At least one Chalkhill Blue colony in Somerset has been lost after grazing had to stop because no farmer would provide sheep, as too many were being maimed.

Motorcyclists are not necessarily bad for butterflies, as the bikes help create bare ground which is useful for species like Dingy and Grizzled Skipper. It does make visiting such sites unpleasant though and I tend to leave the worst cases for school term-time and when live England international matches are on, when I tend to have the places to myself.

Tried to chase a possible grizzled skipper across a 1 in 3 scree slope today, but it was a lot faster than me.

[Chris Pickford]

Despite all the anti-doggism, it has to be said that they do have their uses......

A few years back while walking in the French Jura, I came across evidence of a fairly recent canine bowel evacuation exercise - fairly well attended by four Purple Emperors and two Lesser Purple Emperors. They were so ecstatic with their find that they totally ignored me.

Chris

[Charles Nicol]

That is rather an odd looking group you've made there Charles! Have you cleared up any of the rubbish you have photographed?

i do take smaller items, such as tins & plastic bags but sofas & crashed motorcycles are beyond me

Charles

[Jack Harrison]

....fairly well attended by four Purple Emperors and two Lesser Purple Emperors.....

A couple of days ago, I saw a Comma similarly "enjoying" a feast but didn't feel inclined to take any photos.

Jack