Betrisher
Well-known member
- Jun 3, 2013
- 4,253
- 177
- Parrots
- Dominic: Galah(RIP: 1981-2018); The Lovies: Four Blue Masked Lovebirds; Barney and Madge (The Beaks): Alexandrines; Miss Rosetta Stone: Little Corella
I waked up about an hour ago with a ferocious cramp in my calf. I've walked and stretched and taken a pill for it, but all I was left with was to sit down and play war games until the pain went away. Fine! Bump off a few enemy peasants and repair my drawbridges... I got engrossed, forgot the cramp and was quite enjoying sitting here in the cool of the night with the fan on my skin.
When all of a sudden out of nowhere there came a massive BUZZZ in my ear. Turning sharply to the right, I could see no source of the buzzing but it came again, this time from the left. Buzzz, BUZZZZZ, ***BUZZZZZZZ***!!!. For a minute, I thought I'd gotten a sudden attack of tinnitus and began to blow my nose, but it was then that the Very Large, Very Furry Hawk Moth buzzed all the way up my front and very nearly into my nose.
How unpleasant.
Of course, the poor thing had come in from outdoors, attracted by the light and it was zotting around the computer room like a mad thing, trying to find its way out again. For a few minutes, I tried to track it and vainly batted at it in an attempt to get hold of it, but the big bugger was too quick for me. (NB. He was about three inches long and had a wingspan about six or so inches). I had a flash of brilliance and flicked off the light switch. As I stood there for a few seconds, I heard a visible 'PLOPP' as the moth hit the deck somewhere in the room. Turning the light back on again, I spied him parked on the back of my chair. It was then a simple matter to cup him in my hands and take him outside, where I hope he'll enjoy a sip from my geraniums before moving on.
I looked up his species and it seems he's a Theretra radiosa or one of many Hawk Moths that occur in Australia. They're big, furry and very pretty moths and most of them drink nectar from native plants using their long and straw-like proboscis. I have often held a drop of honey water under the nose - er - proboscis of one of these moths in order to watch him unfurl the long (three, four, five inches!) proboscis and have a drink.
So, yeah, I thought this was a pretty interesting interlude for the middle of the night and decided to share it. Here's a picture of my visitor:
Theretra radiosa
When all of a sudden out of nowhere there came a massive BUZZZ in my ear. Turning sharply to the right, I could see no source of the buzzing but it came again, this time from the left. Buzzz, BUZZZZZ, ***BUZZZZZZZ***!!!. For a minute, I thought I'd gotten a sudden attack of tinnitus and began to blow my nose, but it was then that the Very Large, Very Furry Hawk Moth buzzed all the way up my front and very nearly into my nose.
How unpleasant.
Of course, the poor thing had come in from outdoors, attracted by the light and it was zotting around the computer room like a mad thing, trying to find its way out again. For a few minutes, I tried to track it and vainly batted at it in an attempt to get hold of it, but the big bugger was too quick for me. (NB. He was about three inches long and had a wingspan about six or so inches). I had a flash of brilliance and flicked off the light switch. As I stood there for a few seconds, I heard a visible 'PLOPP' as the moth hit the deck somewhere in the room. Turning the light back on again, I spied him parked on the back of my chair. It was then a simple matter to cup him in my hands and take him outside, where I hope he'll enjoy a sip from my geraniums before moving on.
I looked up his species and it seems he's a Theretra radiosa or one of many Hawk Moths that occur in Australia. They're big, furry and very pretty moths and most of them drink nectar from native plants using their long and straw-like proboscis. I have often held a drop of honey water under the nose - er - proboscis of one of these moths in order to watch him unfurl the long (three, four, five inches!) proboscis and have a drink.
So, yeah, I thought this was a pretty interesting interlude for the middle of the night and decided to share it. Here's a picture of my visitor:
Theretra radiosa
