birding-aus

Bird eating spider?

To: Carol Probets <>, Birding Aus <>
Subject: Bird eating spider?
From: Denise Goodfellow <>
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:58:28 +0930
The most impressive performance I ever saw was of a tiny Rainbow Skink
Carlia sp).  By waving its tail the lizard appeared to mesmerise a large
wolf spider.  After about 30 seconds or so, when the spider was well and
truly transfixed, the skink pounced and subdued it.  Talk about David and
Goliath!
Denise


on 16/3/08 7:34 AM, Carol Probets at  wrote:

> We also have very large Golden Orb-weaving spiders in the Blue
> Mountains NSW (don't know if they're the same species as Belinda's)
> and there seem to be an extra lot around this year.
> 
> Speaking of "bird eating spider", recently I watched a White-throated
> Treecreeper eating a large Redback Spider.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Carol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> At 10:10 PM +1100 15/3/08, Greg & Val Clancy wrote:
>> Hi Belinda,
>> 
>> The advice that you have received to not kill the spider is  wise
>> advice. Even if it were to kill the occasional bird it wouldn't
>> deserve to be killed.  Animals kill other animals in nature and as
>> long as it is a native species behaving naturally we shouldn't
>> interfere.  Raptors kill other birds but we don't insist that they
>> be killed, although this was the thinking some decades back.
>> 
>> My spider book calls your spider 'Golden Orb-weaving Spider Nephila
>> maculata' the largest of the genus.  I have found them as far south
>> as Coffs Harbour, NSW.
>> 
>> 
>> Greg Clancy
>> 



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