Time to come out of hibernation! Here is a random assortment of things:

  • Did you know that Harvestmen (Opiliones) cluster together in a dense mass? Neither did I, but there are some great videos out there. People tend to name them incorrectly as spiders mind you. Note that Americans call them Daddy Long Legs, but we use that name for Crane Flies mostly.
  • If you missed WinterWatch on the BCC over the last week, it's all available online, incluing "Live: Winterwatch at the Big Garden Birdwatch" throughout this weekend.
  • I wish someone would invent a bird feeder that's impervious to terrible weather. I find that mine get wet inside courtesy of the rain driving in sideways pretty much every day. Then the contents stick together and go mouldy, requiring a full clean out only a couple of days after filling them. Does anyone know of such a feeder?
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3 Comments

  1. I am not sure that I knew that they cluster together in a dense mass but I do know that they like my hall and stairway and colonise it every year. They are such fascinating creatures. Last year I had about twenty and most of them managed to drop onto spiders and seemed to suck the life out of them, then let them go after a week. Lucky me, I had to get rid of the husks.

  2. Oh, I really wish I hadn’t clicked on that video link! Undid years of self-training not to shriek at spiders! (or harvestmen….)

  3. ToffeeApple – Really? I’ve never heard of harvestmen attacking spiders, though supposedly they are omnivores and will eat pretty much anything. I’d love to see a picture if you can get one.

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