A relatively small warbler was sighted during our birding on sunday at ezhome. The warbler was seen on small scrubs growing in the paddyfield near the road side. The bird was active and was moving fastly around the reeds relatively faster and was actively feeding near the water surface. Noticable features include prominant eyebrow with dark crown. Underpart was(Belly) Pale and the upperparts are darker compared to underparts. The streaks in the wings and upperparts were not that clear. The sighting lasted only a few minutes and the bird was not making any calls or sounds. The bird disappeared in the reeds after a short time interval. https://ebird.org/checklist/S126095411

The only confusing id was of a sedge/moustached warbler. Comments from discussion points towards sedge as a perfect candidate for the specimen in discussion.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AskidsofIndianBirds/?multi_permalinks=2560558290749528

You know you’ve found a large moth when…

1. After a 40 year career as a wildlife biologist, you can’t believe what you’re seeing is real.
2. Your ruler isn’t long enough to get a good measurement (2nd image), so you go back to get a longer ruler (3rd image) and that isn’t long enough, so you scramble around to find a carpenter’s measuring tape to fully span the wings (4th image).
3. Your astonishment is like the joy of a child on Christmas morning; you start laughing and giggling uncontrollably.
4. The largest moth on your sheet has a wingspan 40X the size of the smallest one.
5. You stay up until 3:30 a.m. journaling about one moth.
6. You start taking selfies...with a moth (last image).

To the best of my ability to measure this critter, the wingspan (with a bit of the tip of the right FW missing) is about 27.8 cm, so it would probably be about 28.5 cm (11.2 in) if it were intact. The species is said to have the largest wingspan of any Lepidopteran in the world.

The moth was initially discovered on the sheet by Mary Kay Sexton. I had overlooked it.

To read more of the story, see:
https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/gcwarbler/13211-mothing-in-panama

Shweta hunting shield bug.
Never imagined oxyopes shweta hunts so selectively.
Shweta waited for pentatomidae to emerge out of egg and started feeding on it, one after other for two days!
Pentatomidae are considered as pests for agricultural crops are very effectively controlled by single spider in just two days !
That's the role of spider!
July 2022
Indraprastha
Mysuru.
With Sanath Ramesh Manimoole

Female killed a dragon fly. The spider was about 10 cm up, it descended slowly using web to a nearby perch and then pounced on the dragon fly, I ran in and got my phone for a few pics, by which time the dragon fly became immobile. Hyllus I've seen take big prey at my garden.

This moth, first time for me, was spotted at Karzi-Mangnam, West Sikkim, one of the remotest villages in our state. I'd taken my family to show them how does it feel like reaching there (adventurous roads, first road came in 2004), living there and experiencing their lives.
The trip indeed was fruitful, despite the back-breaking journey, I managed to photograph some extraordinary moths, like this one.

Rhagodima cf. nigrocincta

Cincta (cinctus, cinctum) in latin means "surrounded by". So the portmanteau "nigrocincta" can mean "surrounding by black color". This might refer to colors and patterns on the abdomen of this species. Or it may not refer to black patches on some legs which does not form full circle/ring as in R. Annulata.

But these informations are not clear to me as per the description by Henry Meyners Bernard who described the species as Rhax nigrocincta along with Rhax Howesii (currently assigned as Rhagodes melanopygus). Another information I can find is that as per Simon's 1885 description R. annulata has body length of 18mm and as per Bernard's description of R. nigrocincta is around 1.25 to 2 inches. T̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶p̶e̶c̶i̶m̶e̶n̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶w̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶1̶.̶2̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶1̶.̶5̶ ̶i̶n̶c̶h̶e̶s̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶.̶ (The specimen was just 2 cms long after I re-checked the video where it climbed to my friend's hand. Videograb is attached as last photo.)

Henry Meyners Bernard's 1894 article on the species called "On two new species of Rhax. Journal of Linnean Soicety London" can be read here: https://ww.rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication/88759/edition/67942/content?ref=struct

The illustrations on the book has been digitized and uploaded to Wiki Commons over here:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhagodima_nigrocincta.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhagodima_nigrocincta_cutted.jpg

Comparing the images above I can see similar black patches on the legs. Also the white moustache pattern has good resemblance on the individual. But I don't see the spurs specified in illustrations.

Note: I am not conforming on the species level identification here. I have just added my notes here for future reference for anybody who wants to take this subject for research.

Featured links:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_IRP2ZA02t/

https://twitter.com/inaturalist/status/1251551116027805698

https://www.facebook.com/inaturalist/posts/pfbid02Fja8b97GMMmc4V5FAbNAoccbEETKiDDF59KX7BzdsWV3rqReRq1x4HJa4T9m41cFl

1-24-20 Bald Eagle eating a duck or a raven.

This adult had stolen the meal from a small group of juvenile eagles which were squabbling over it. When I walked over to see what it was eating it skreeled & hissed at me to stay back and resumed its repast.

Then, it gave me "The Glare" - the one that drives nightmares so I backed out of its territory - about a foot, and it went back to ripping it's meal apart and gulping down large chunks of meat, bones, feathers.

We have over 500 Bald Eagles here and while both life forms have learned to have respect for each other it is well understood by us lesser creatures that at certain times of year (nesting season) - Eagles Rule. They've been practicing Dino's for a long time, apparently lack any sense of humor and have no compunctions about attacking intruders about the head and shoulders. A bird with a 6 foot wing span and 3+ inch really dirty talons can do a lot of damage.

Some nesting eagle pairs are known to be very territorial and more aggressive so... most folks here - when near those nest sites avoid wearing certain kinds of hats (no one knows for sure which kind since hats and eagle strikes vary from year to year), shiny reflective things or pushing rattling carts out of the Post Office between May and September.

The last two fotos show how the bird will anchor its beak and then extract its talons before moving its foot to a new spot while eating. This helps hold down the prey and prevent it from being stolen by other eagles. If you toggle the images back and forth you can see the action.

Let's meet the most fascinating agamid in Sri Lanka!🇱🇰

*Sinhala- ගැට හොඹු කටුස්සා/කරමල් බෝදිලියා
*English- Hump-nosed lizard/Hump snout lizard/Lyre head lizard
*Scientific name- Lyriocephalus scutatus(Linnaeus, 1758)

This is the largest agamid lizard that endemic to Sri Lanka.This species widely distributed in wet and intermediate zones. Lives in canopy primary and secondary forests in Sri Lanka.When it feels something dangerous happening around,suddenly opens its bright red colour mouth and also males expand their dewlaps. They feed on earthworms,insects and ect. Sinharaja rainforest,Kanneliya rainforest are well known localties for this species and usually can be found around the water resources. A very CALMFUL,COLOURFUL and GORGEOUS agamid that can be found easily in Sri Lanka.But, the behaviors after feeling threatened are very SCARY!You can see well the sharp teeth and the red colour inside its mouth in this picture!Luckily,we observed this amazing creature for the very first time!

Check-
A Naturalist's guide to the Reptiles of Sri Lanka 2nd edition by Anslem de Silva & Kanishka Ukuwela(page35)

A study of behavior, habitat, distribution and ecology on Lyriocephalus scutatus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Sri Lanka
( https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318816051_A_study_of_behavior_habitat_distribution_and_ecology_on_Lyriocephalus_scutatus_Linnaeus_1758_in_Sri_Lanka )

Behavioral ecology and microhabitat use by Lyriocephalus scutatus (Linnaeus, 1758): A monotypic genus in Sri Lanka (Reptilia: Agamidae: Draconinae) with notes on the taxonomy
( https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236231204_Behavioral_ecology_and_microhabitat_use_by_Lyriocephalus_scutatus_Linnaeus_1758_A_monotypic_genus_in_Sri_Lanka_Reptilia_Agamidae_Draconinae_with_notes_on_the_taxonomy )

📷 ©Pasindu Dilshan|2021