Animals at sea.

For our wild animals we tend to think of winter as a time of adversity and a season of scarcity, but in our waters there is food and plenty of it. Just off the coast of Ireland a gathering of fish heralds a great wildlife spectacle. Shoals of herring and sprat congregate in huge numbers to breed. In sheltered coastal waters this bounty of food draws in predators. Seabirds, dolphins and whales migrate to feed on the fish. Short winter days mean it is a race against time before the sunsets again. Birds spend most of the year looking for food hotspots, along with gulls, gannets and dolphins they are all  after  the breeding fish. There is an amazing array of wildlife in British waters, humpback whales are normally found in Alaska and Antarctica, but they are sometimes found off the coast of Ireland feeding on all of the fish, they will eat up to a tonne of fish. When the whale jumps out of the water it is said to be a form of communication, their have been up to twenty different humpback whales seen off the coast of Ireland which is testament to the rich waters that are off the coast of Ireland., but during February they will disappear from British waters to give birth because the Irish waters are to cold for them.

The nymphalidae family.

Part one the peacock butterfly.(inachis io).

Among butterflies, the peacock has one of the longest life expectancies, with adults living for around eleven months (July-June). Named after the bird, due to the similarity of their eyed markings, it is one of our most striking and colourful butterflies, belonging to the same family (vanessids) as the comma, painted lady, small tortoiseshell and the red admiral. Adults feed on a range of nectar rich plants, including scabious, sedum, echinacea and teasel.  During  summer they are most likely to be seen feeding on buddleia, building up their fat reserves in order to survive hibernation. The black, spiny caterpillars feed on stinging and annual nettles. Adults emerge from late July onwards. In a good summer, this generation may go on to breed successfully before the end of the year, with a late emergence of new peacocks in October. These adults hibernate over winter and reappear in March and April, to mate. Females lay eggs on large nettles patches. Caterpillars build up communal webs over the growing tips, which they strip bare, before dispersing to fresh vegetation where they pupate. The peacock butterfly is a nomadic species, with adults travelling throughout the countryside, They`re also commonly found in gardens, parks and woodland. Bucking the trend of many UK butterflies, the peacock has fared well in recent years. Not only has it increased its range northwards into northern England and central Scotland, but populations have also increased in number. Its not yet known how the species has fared after this years wet weather.