Weird natural Phenomenon

[geoffsta]

I was on my home from an outing the other day when I thought I saw what look like a fine jet of water squirting about 20 feet in the air. It was just as the sun was setting and I thought I was loosing it. There were hundreds of these jets in each paddock for around the fifteen kilometre tripI was on.
I asked my better half, and she said that I needed my eyes checked. Then she started to notice them.

Look at the brown spirals.
69429

On inspection it was flying ants flying in a spiral. Each spiral about 20 feet apart... Weird. :confused013
Geoff

[Remorhaz]

Bizarre!!! - wonder what a close up shot would have looked like?

[I @ M]

Now that is weird, I have never seen anything like it Geoff, maybe send a copy to the CSIRO or someone, they may be interested.

[aussie girl]

Great that the spirals showed up in the photo. Very strange indeed!!

[Mary Anne]

Very interesting, at least you have proof that you are not seeing things..

[jgknight]

Amazing, the way nature keeps coming up with surprises.

[Art Vandelay]

You sure it's not an irrigation system in the paddocks ?

[BUGSnBIRDS]

You sure they were not locusts?

[geoffsta]

Art & Bugs
Sure it wasn't irrigation or locusts. I got close enough to a spiral that a couple of bugs got in the corner of my eyes.

[aussie girl]

so now you know the true meaning of "bug eyed":lol:

[jeffde]

Interesting - never seen that before

[Analog6]

How amazing! Perhaps some sort of mating flights/behaviour? They really do look like they are rising out of the ground. Some ants (and cockroaches) only have wings at certain times of the year, so perhaps this is the time.

[Duane Pipe]

Good find Geoff I to have never seen anything like it

[dbax]

Just watched a nature doco on the ABC and they had footage of spirals (much larger) like these, They were in fact Midges spiralling over a lake when the weathers really calm, they spiral up in these clusters and wait for the wind to blow them to new area.
I thought straight away about this photo and had to track it down. Knowing what they appear to be I also found a site with a couple of pics http://ozarkflyfisherjournal.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/midge-spirals-_-a-wonder-of-the-white/

Mystery solved ??
:D

[Nikkie]

Geoff wow that is great never in my days have I seen anything like that lucky you having your cam with you at the time