Country File

[mmcv]

I am not afraid of spiders, and will normally relocate them outside.

When I knocked the shed down I dis have a rather large spider (2-3 inches across) fall down my neck that was not very pleasant, and when it fell out I instinctively stamped on it, although I would not normally do such a thing.

There is a bit of an instinctive reaction to stuff like that. I'm not particularly scared of spiders and the like, but equally, if you wake up with a big one sitting on your chest looking at you, or have one running up your leg or down the neck the gut instinct is to knock it away or swat it.

[Westmarcher]

I'm not afraid of British spiders either (although I do recall encountering a particularly large specimen in a warehouse that was surprisingly aggressive) but I was very wary (aka slightly paranoid?) about the ones in Australia when I was there in 2005 - big and deadly* buggers.  

* and not necessarily big.

[mmcv]

I'm not afraid of British spiders either (although I do recall encountering a particularly large specimen in a warehouse that was surprisingly aggressive) but I was very wary (aka slightly paranoid?) about the ones in Australia when I was there in 2005 - big and deadly* buggers.  

* and not necessarily big.

True, Australian spiders are a whole other kettle of arachnids. If they can cause you serious injury, pain or death then it's completely rational to be concerned about them!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Working in a secure unit one of my colluges was bitten by a spider and left in effect, alewrgic reaction. That was in Newton le Willows....

[Ithoriel]

I was recently told by an arachnologist (someone who studies spiders) that "releasing" a house spider into the wild is pretty much a death sentence unless they make it back indoors sharpish. So there may not be as much difference between catch and release and squish as we like to imagine.

At the height of the Harry Potter boom I sent him a picture of a rather large spider living in our bathroom and was reassured to be told it was harmless. The boys were a little freaked until, as a throw-away comment, I said,"Aragog lives in our bathroom."  Suddenly he was quite cool.

[mmcv]

We tend to leave house spiders be in the hope they'll sort out the flies that keep buzzing in. Though our dog does occasionally take a notion to eat them.

[Heedless Horseman]

It is the 'Instinctive' WHY that is curious. We ALL react...well. there ARE those who LOVE 'Creepy Hairy Things'... There we go... instinctive "Whuh" as i 'imagine' a Tarantula!

Once heard...  (One of those 'Servicemen' 'Tales', maybe?)... of a RAF troop who fell asleep on a beach in Cyprus?/Sardinia? And a Camel Spider had eaten his lip!  

As for 'other Bugs'... a friend was eating out on a Spanish Island. Waiter spotted a Scorpion and 'matter of factlly' brushed it into a glass for disposal.

Myself... was outside  Greek cafe, when some BIG BUZZY 'thing' , (Some sort of Moth / Beetle?), started to strafe the tables. People 'Squaking, Ducking and Diving'... but Greek Waiter just said: "Iss awright... He Leefs Here!" lol!  

[mmcv]

Apparently, a lot of the stories of Camel Spiders eating soldiers while they sleep was a bit of a myth, their bite is pretty painful, so if one nipped you you'd pretty quickly wake up.

It's probably a lot to do with exposure. If you're dealing with something all the time you become used to it, whereas an unknown entity could be threatening. Because there are some creepy crawly things that can cause you serious harm, the instinctive reaction will always be to protect yourself from that potential harm when facing a surprise or unknown one. You risk little by reacting fearfully compared to ignoring it then getting bitten. Whereas if it's something you're used to dealing with that fear reaction diminishes. I was terrified of dogs as a kid, absolutely petrified, but now that I have a dog they don't generally scare me. But if I did encounter a dog who is acting aggressively that fear response kicks in again, because I understand the animals a bit better and I can tell when I need to be fearful and when I don't. Same with creepy crawlies I suspect. The more you know them the less you fear, or at least know when you need to fear, but while it's an unknown the fear response is a key to protecting yourself.

[Heedless Horseman]

Still a pleasure to see 'very young' Blue / Great Tits flocking around feeders... but surely, must be another brood to the last? Glad I replenished, anyway. 
Cat has now brought back THREE  dead 'baby' Rabbits in two weeks... so Rabbits still doing what they do!  So does Cat! 
Plenty of Hedgehog and 'young' Fox activity. 
Was thinking that I haven't heard OWLS very much, this year? Recent years, would often hear calls...or sometimes see. Bird populations do seem to fluctuate greatly.Only a couple of Robins about garden.... last year, there seemed to be a couple of 'families'.
A plus is that haven't 'seen' a Rat for a while... but don't think THAT will last! 

[sultanbev]

Been on a mini-tour of Yorkshire this week, , seeing gannets, puffins, razerbills and guillimots for the first time at Bempton Cliffs. We missed the wandering albatross though by half an hour! Saw seals at Flamborough Head lighthouse, poking their noses out of the water looking like floating bottles; wood pigeons everywhere, many it seems with an obligotary branch in their beak; a very large red deer near South Landing; heard the falcons at York Minster, and two visits to Harlow Carr RHS gardens, which looks great.

(The book shop on Fossgate in York is always worth a visit for military books too!)

Today we found one of these in my allotment, which is quite unusual:
https://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/H/Helleborine(BroadLeaved)/Helleborine(BroadLeaved).htm

[Techno II]

Was thinking that I haven't heard OWLS very much, this year? Recent years, would often hear calls...or sometimes see.

Interesting.......Neither have I.
Must be a couple of years, since I heard one.
There were some Barn owls at the farm opposite, apparently...though I never saw one.
Tawny owls used to be about.....saw one in our pole barn a few years back, when it flew just over my head.

Rabbits ?.... think I've already said...not noticed any this year...that could be down to the polecats.

Hedgehogs.....only ever seen one, here....when it got caught in a live trap......Don't worry..it was fine.
Used to see oodles when we lived near Newark.

Cheers - Phil.

[Steve J]

Hedgehog still active in our garden, but not seen it this year, only its droppings. Lots of rabbits still around our local area.

[Ithoriel]

On a still night I can hear lions and tigers.

[FierceKitty]

No bears?

[Ithoriel]

Not that I can tell from the howls and growls. Very much big cat noises.