Three images today. The first is the strangely named Great Egg-fly. The picture shows a female sitting on a jasmine leaf in our garden. These are found in most country areas.
Hypolinas bolina
Next a much smaller lep, this time a moth.
Neomusotima fuscolinealis
I managed to ID this correctly (does little rabbit dance to celebrate) and it was confirmed by Dr. Roger Kendrick. He wrote last year:
“There have been a few records of this scarce species in HK since my thesis.”
So this is a good record. I found this about 400m from the house. It was a diurnal sighting picked up on flight. It is barely 1cm across.
And finally a very poor quality picture but one I thought interesting enough to share. I took this through my study window with Mrs. Ha’s super-zoom. It is far too far to get a proper clean, sharp image but this is a behavioural shot.
This is a Light-vented (Chinese) Bulbul tring to take a hawkmoth. The bird is young and seems to overestimate its feeding capacity. I shared the photo with Roger yesterday and we chatted it through on the phone. Best guess is that it is Marumba dryas. MD has a wingspan up to 12cm so that is an audacious attempt. They were still fighting when they disappeared behind the bushes out of sight. Who won? I don’t know.
It seems I don’t need to go far to see nature red-raw in tooth and claw.
I would’ve expected you to point out that you managed to get not one but TWO of that so-rare moth, Andrew ! – surely twice the bragging rights ? [grin]
Maybe M.R. but the original shot was a scruffy individual so not really that good.
???? Don’t get it, Andrew: I was making reference to the mating pair …
There is nothing wrong with a well behavioural shot. The Bulbul must have been ravenous. A bit like a grown man getting stuck in a complete cow. (wagyu)
My love of nature is almost matched by my love of wagyu, Gerard. But not the whole cow.
Nothing wrong with more Lepidoptera…lots more, please.
Great Egg Fly? I’ve seen them in a butterfly house, but never heard how the name came about. Any ideas?
I got a shot yesterday morning of a very complicated, for me at least, moth to ID. PM lines and costal margins make my head hurt. Nice moth. Can you ID with markings or are you like me…flipping through pictures?
Depends on the moth, Steve. Some I recognise easily. Some I can do family or even genus. Others, well …… The taxonomy is fluid too.
That bird is small. And that hawkmoth is big! Who would have thought a fight between a bird and an insect would be so closely contested?
The moth certainly put up a fight. Then again, I would too if I was about to be eaten!
Capturing them through a lens seems so much better then pinning them to a card. Mind you the wee feathered chappie seems not to have got the message.
I have never pinned insects although I know people who do. I’ not sure its a moral issue to me rather that I just prefer photography. If I pin one moth I’m sure the birds will eat a hundred. That’s life.
How do you ever get such amazing photographs, Andrew? Especially the bulbul trying to take the hawkmoth! Wouldn’t you love to have captured the winner?
I was a bit annoyed that I did not see the conclusion, Marylin, but that is nature. How? Well just luck on this occasion.