Monday Mystery

I had a feeling last week's close up



might be difficult to identify exactly. It was



a carbon monoxide detector and alarm. A device I now always use where there is the possibility of an accidental build up of CO in the home. Many years ago the family home had a coke boiler installed. One morning we all woke up feeling drowsy with thumping headaches. We had a lucky escape as the flue from the boiler had become blocked stopping the fumes from being vented to the atmosphere. It was a scary experience and one I have no desire to repeat. As always my thanks to all who had a go at identifying it.

I think this week the new close up photo



should be easier to work out that it is ..... what? If you would like to make a guess please leave it in the comments. They will be revealed, with the answer, next Monday.

A Foxglove Pug

Until a few days ago the only Pugs I knew about have four legs and a tail. I had found this small moth trying to be unnoticed in the kitchen so I couldn't resist trying to take a photo of it. At the time the lighting was poor so I ended up having to use the in built flash on the Nikon.



On researching sone moth identification sites I concluded this was an example of a Foxglove Pug moth. They can be very variable in colouring but the wing patterns are the same on all the variations. The moth is so named as the caterpillars feed inside the flowers of the Foxglove plant. As a species the Foxglove Pug is widely and commonly distributed.

Always Look Down

Garden centres are no different to supermarkets when it comes to product placement. At eye level are the items which they would really like you to choose. After all they are in business to make money and finding cheaper items which may have a smaller profit margin are likely to need a bit of investigation when shopping. Yesterday I went to my nearest garden centre as I needed to replenish some supplies for the bird feeders, particularly the suet blocks. Looking along the eye level shelves I was mentally working out which were the best value for money, i.e. equivalent cost per block in multi buy packs. Then a quick glance down to the floor level shelf brought these to my attention:



by far the best value for money so I added a box to the trolley. Before I bought it I had a quick look at the contents.



They looked very suitable. Here is the box after I had already put one out for the birds:



The feathered visitors took to it immediately.



I don't think they will last very long and I could guarantee they will be sold out by the next time I go bird food shopping.

Monday Mystery

Last week I showed this close view



and I can see why it may have looked like a posh tea bag strainer or a juice squeezer but it was correctly identified by Ellen D. as



a tool for separating the white and yolk of an egg. I had forgotten I had this until I found it tucked away at the back of a kitchen cupboard. I have never tried it to see how effective it is. Thanks again to all who have a go.

The new object was chosen in a bit of a rush as I had forgotten to photo the thing I was going to use



If you would like to make a guess as to what it is please leave it in the comments. They will be revealed, with the answer, next Monday.

Peanut Cake Visitors

The Robin Peanut Cake blocks I ordered from C J Wildlife are proving to be very popular with my garden visitors, especially as many birds are feeding nestlings at the moment. A short video showing Blue Tit, Robin and House Sparrow:



The 'cake' consists of peanut flour, tallow, Sunflower hearts, kibbled peanuts, dried mealworms and other seeds and fruit.

The camera nest box hasn't been taken by any birds but does seem to have a resident wasp. I am sure there is a Song Thrush nest in the Ivy at the bottom of the garden, or very nearby. A couple of days ago I saw two Song Thrushes together on the lawn and one keeps visiting to collect worms and always flies back to the same spot in the Ivy. So far I haven't managed to video it as the Song Thrush is very wary and timid.

Monday Mystery

Last week's close view



was correctly identified by Wilma and Ellen D. as



a pack of emery boards / nail files. Well done and thanks to everyone who had a go.

This week I have a close view of



what? If you would like to make a guess please leave it in the comments. They will be revealed, with the answer, next Monday.

Fledgling Starling Feeding Time

A couple of days ago there were two fledgling Starlings in the garden. Yesterday there was only one, patiently waiting to be fed. After feeding the youngster the parent had a shower and dried off in the Sun.



So far today I haven'n seen any in the garden.

Yellow Eggs

I was pruning some overhanging branches on a fruit bush when I spotted a flash of yellow on one green leaf.



On a closer look I could see a group of tiny yellow eggs.



Just the subject for another macro focus stacking session. Here I set up the Canon M5 with 18 - 150mm zoom lens and added the Raynox MSN-202 super macro conversion lens on my home brew automatic stepper unit.



The results - closer views of the eggs of a Large White Butterfly - often called a Cabbage White as cabbage leaves are one of the plants they often lay their eggs on for the caterpillars to consume.





I wrote about my home brew Arduino driven automatic system HERE in 2020. The first of today's macro photos used eleven shots, each with a slightly different focus, stacked using Helicon Focus. The second used 20 shots.

Monday Mystery

Last week's close up photo



seems to have had everyone scratching their heads. No correct guess this time. Thank you for having a go.

It was part of



an intruder deterrent designed to be fixed to the top of a wall or fence. The spikes have blunt ends and the plastic material is partially flexible rather than a solid, hard material. I have used these to stop Wood Pigeons landing and pooping over everything below.

The new close view is of



a pack of .... what? If you would like to have a guess please leave it in the comments. They will be revealed, with the answer, next Monday.

Plume Moth

When I went to open the large shed I could see two Plume Moths resting on the doors with their wings rolled up. First I tried for a single decent photo with the Nikon Colorpix S9050 but ended up with half a dozen fuzzy shots. Next I tried the iPhone with similar results. All this time, with the camera lens within a couple of inches of the moths, they stayed absolutely still. Even when I unlocked and opened a door they did not move.

In the end I though I would try the Canon M5 with a macro lens attached. No single shot was near half in focus on the subject so in desperation I tried for a series of hand held shots to put in a focus stacking program. Zerene Stacker did a grand job aligning things considering the way the position of the moth in each photo varied from shot to shot.



Camera set up - Canon M5 + Canon 18-150mm zoom lens + Raynox DCR-150 macro / close-up conversion lens.

Monday Mystery

Last week's close view was



correctly identified



by Adrian and Wilma as a battery. Well done. As it happens it was a rechargeable size D. My thanks to all who have a look at these puzzle photos and especially to those who have a go at identifying them.

This week we have a side on view



of part of .... what? If you would like to make a guess please leave it in the comments. They will be revealed, with the answer, next Monday.