The Butterfly Bush

Well it's not called the Butterfly Bush for nothing and for the first time this year, the number of butterflies on the Buddleia reached double figures with 7 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 Large Whites and a Small White. Also on the buddleia Tapered Drone Fly and on the Lavender Honeybees and Common Carder bees

Also about a Sparrowhawk over the estate, a pair of Swallows passing through, and a Goldcrest in the Leylandii.

This morning in the house another Square Spot Rustic and Orange Swift.

Small Tortoiseshell

Small Tortoiseshells

Small White

Honeybee on Lavender

Tapered Drone Fly

Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk

And another Square-spot Rustic.

An Evening at Nightingale Wood

What a difference a year makes, and as to why, after having created a really lovely glade through the woods, someone decided to cut the rest down who knows! I know which view I prefer. Oh well I'm sure there was a valid reason for cutting them all down.

Before - July 2014

Today Hmmmm

A Roe Deer looks up as I walk by

and then tries to hide.

There was a right racket going on in this hedge with at least 3 Blackcaps squabbling. Not the best of shots but then the light was fading fast.

Symphoricarpos, commonly known as the Snowberry, Waxberry or Ghostberry. A member of the honeysuckle family.

Sometimes the imperfect photo actually turns out to be, well perfect. Just kidding completely the wrong setting. I literally walked around a hedge and not more than 4 metres away this Buzzard was sat on the post. I never had a chance to set the camera, so a silhouette it was.

At least 5 Mistle Thrushes in a flock, I reckon this is a juvenile. Just a feeling.

What else was about, well a flock of about 20+ Swallows and House Martins heading south, whilst flying in a westerly direction I had 8 Pied Wagtails and a Meadow Pipit. By the River Cole a Yellow Wagtail flew overhead, and whilst I was walking around the woods and meadows I recorded at least 14 Chiffchaffs calling. As the light really began to fade a Fox barked and overhead there were dozens and dozens of gulls, mainly Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Black-headed Gulls, with a good 20 or so Herring Gull. A couple of highlights were 2 Spotted Flycatchers, the first as I drove into Nightingale Wood and the other close to the tall aerial.

Birds Recorded:
2 Buzzard, Pheasant, 100+ Black-headed Gull, 20+ Herring Gull, 200+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Wood Pigeon, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, House Martin, Swallow, 1 Meadow Pipit, 8 Pied Wagtail, 1 Yellow Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 5 Mistle Thrush, 3 Blackcap, 14+ Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch and Yellowhammer.

Also seen a Roe Deer, Fox and 50+ Rabbits

Moths Galore Again

So many moths in the house this morning, with 4 Orange Swifts, 3 Square-spot Rustics, a Beautiful Plume (Amblyptilia acanthadactyla), a Common Plume (Emmelina monodactyla), a Double-striped Pug.

Orange Swift

Orange Swifts

Common Plume, Emmelina monodactyla

Beautiful Plume, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Double-striped Pug (I think!)

Square-spot Rustic

Square-spot Rustic

Square-spot Rustic

Indoor Buglife

The last week or so has seen an influx of spiders, flies and moths in the house, and this morning was no exception with a Fever-fly (Dilophus febrilis) in the kitchen this morning along with a few micro moth sps., a Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata) and a very light coloured Willow Beauty, certainly compared to a dark one I found yesterday.

Fever-fly, Dilophus febrilis

Fever-fly, Dilophus febrilis apparently a female

Fever-fly, Dilophus febrilis

Fever-fly, Dilophus febrilis

Fever-fly, Dilophus febrilis

micro moth sp.

micro moth sp.

the same as above.

A beautifully patterned Lime-speck Pug

Willow Beauty. Very light compared to the one I found yesterday just below .

Willow Beauty or maybe the one above is something else!!

A Busy Bee Day in the Garden

Before venturing out into the back garden I ID'd a couple of moths found in the kitchen this morning. One was a Marbled Beauty, the other I'm struggling with but I think its a Willow Beauty.

.

Willow Beauty I think!

Marbled Beauty, Bryophila domestica 

In the back garden though, lots of activity with lots of Honey Bees and one or two Leaf-cutter bees on the Purple Loosestrife. On the Buddleia 2 Large Whites and a Meadow Brown. By the pond a Common Frog and along the wall lots of Pill Woodlouse.

Meadow Brown

Common Frog

Pill Woodlouse, Armadillidium vulgare

Solitary Bees hotel with many cells now full with nests of the Leaf-cutter Bee.

Leaf-cutter Bee

Honey Bee

Honey Bee

This Honey Bee has a slight colour variation.

Even more so with this one and the reason for the different colours, is down to genetics.The queen may mate with many drones and the offspring may look strikingly different from one another. Also having different drones mating with the queen, ensures that the hive has a better wintering ability and disease resistance, a result of the drone’s chromosomes.

They all seem to be carrying black pollen sacs.

There is a guide to pollen colours. However the book is extremely expensive. The black pollen sacs on these bees though, didn't come from the Purple Loosestrife they are on. Pollen from this flower is a range of light to dark green.

More on Pollen Colours Here.

An interesting article on Pollen from Purple Loosestrife Here

There are some very good pollen guides

The prices hmm.

The Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee. A Guide to Their Identification By Colour and Form by Hodges, Dorothy Price £295

The Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee. A Guide to Their Identification By Colour and Form by Hodges, Dorothy Price £60

A Colour Guide to Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee Paperback – 25 Aug 2006 by William D.J. Kirk Price £999.11 (no its not a misprint)


Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee

Another Windy Day

This year has to go down as one of the windiest on record. It was off to Stratton Wood again, to try out some new walks. There are so many paths criss-crossing each other, it's actually quite interesting to see where you come out next. And with that persistent wind, it was also an opportunity to find some more sheltered spots along the way.

Yet again not too many butterflies out in the open, but in the more sheltered spots there were still plenty of Gatekeepers, a few Meadow Browns, Large Whites, Small Whites, Green-veined Whites, 2 Ringlets, a Common Blue, Large Skippers, Small Skippers and a single Marbled White. Actually that's pretty good, but imagine a windless day, there would be butterflies everywhere.

Anyway here are a few images from today................

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper

Common Blue

Marmalade Hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus

Marmalade Hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus

Common Carder bee, Bombus pascuorum

Red Soldier Beetles, a Long Hoverfly and a fly sp.

A Tachina fera fly

A 7-spot Ladybird, Black Aphids and a Sawfly sp.

Pisaura mirabilis, Nursery Web Spider