St Andrews Park!

An hour in the park this morning produced c20 Redwings, 10 Goldfinches, a Jay, a Coal Tit, Blue Tits, a singing Great Tit, a couple of Collared Doves, some Woodpigeons, several Blackbirds and a Dunnock.

St Andrews Park

 Despite millions of people in the park I did manage to find a quiet spot behind the park-keeper's depot where some birds were hiding. Highlights were a Goldcrest, 3 or 4 Blackbirds, a calling Dunnock, a singing Wren, a few Goldfinches, a pair of Magpies, several Woodpigeons and a singing Robin.

At Montpelier station there was a very impressive mixed party of Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits and at least 2 Coal Tits - the total numbered at least 20! A Jay was feeding nearby and a couple of Chaffinches were a welcome sight. There was a supporting cast of Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, House Sparrows and Goldfinches.

A Common Wasp was on the wall and a Red Admiral was in Station Road.

Chaffinch

Common Wasp

Blackbird

Hiding Jay

Red Admiral

St Andrews Park!

Highlights in the park this morning included several Azure Damselflies, a Cinnabar Moth, a couple of Leaf-cutter Bees, a Harlequin Ladybird larva, a 7-Spot Ladybird, masses of Black Bean Aphids, a couple of Ichneumon Wasps and the hoverflies Eristalis pertinax and Helophilus pendulus.

Azure Damselfly

Leafcutter Bee

Harlequin Ladybird Larva

Cinnabar Moth

Black Bean Aphids

Back in Montpelier, butterflies were represented by a Large Skipper in Fairlawn Road and a Comma on the station.

Large Skipper

Comma

A single Perforate St John's-wort plant was in flower at the station.

Perforate St John's-wort

Birds today included a singing Coal Tit at St Andrews Park, a male Blackcap which perched briefly out in the open at the station but was too quick for my camera, a Robin and Collared Dove also at the station and Blue Tits and House Sparrows in the garden.

Swifts!

After days of straining every sinew (or at least straining my eyes) I finally saw some Swifts today by scanning the sky over Montpelier with binoculars. There were between 3 and 5 soaring high over the rooftops, a magnificent sight as always.

I had a little walk around the neighbourhood and was delighted to see the snail-eating beetle Silpha laevigata in the verge at Fairlawn Road. These beetles also feast on carrion. I have seen one at Narroways I think but that was several years ago now. On the same verge there was a hoverfly larva - I didn't get a good enough shot to ID the species but it was probably a Eupeodes species. I rarely, if ever, see hoverfly larvae. A Coal Tit was singing nearby.

Hoverfly larva

At Station Road there was a Swollen-thighed Flower Beetle. Nearby the leaves of Sycamore had galls on them caused by a mite. A Mallow was growing along Station Road which might be Common Mallow but I can't be sure as the leaves seemed wrong.

Sycamore Gall Mite

Mallow

St Andrews Park!

A very enjoyable half an hour in the meadow this morning paid dividends with lots of great insects on show. These included a Red Mason Bee, a Hairy-footed Flower-bee, a Large Red Damselfly, a Nomada bee, Large White, Orange-tip and Speckled Wood butterflies, and the hoverflies Syrphus, Epistrophe eligans and Melanostoma. A pair of Coal Tits were feeding in the pine tree overhead.

Orange-tip

Large Red Damselfly

Syrphus

Epistrophe eligans

Hairy-footed Flower-bee

Red Mason Bee

Large White

Speckled Wood

St Andrews Park!

A wander around the meadow and pond area this morning produced a probable male Grey-patched Mining Bee (a bit faded) and a Dark-edged Bee-fly (the latter very wary of my camera!). Cowslips were in flower in the meadow, while the pond had lots of Tadpoles. A Coal Tit was singing in trees behind the pond.

Grey-patched Mining Bee

Spot the bee-fly!

Tadpoles

Cowslips

More birds!

There's a lot of bird activity around the neighbouring gardens. Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Blackbirds and Robins all appear to be nesting as they are often seen with food in their bills.

Blackbird

Blue Tit

Robin

On my daily exercise walk this morning there were even more birds - a fly-over Raven and a singing Chiffchaff were encountered near Fairlawn Road. At the station there were more Robins and a Dunnock made an appearance. A pair of Magpies were building a nest near the footbridge.

Spot the Raven

Dunnock

Some good insects around too - a Common Carder Bee, my first of the spring plus lots of Buff-tailed Bumblebees and Honeybees were buzzing around the Green Alkanet in Fairlawn Road. A Common Earwig was a nice surprise as I don't see that many on the patch. There was a supporting cast of a Green Shieldbug, Eristalis pertinax hoverfly and a Wolf Spider. At the station there was a probable Chocolate Mining Bee and at Station Road a Platycheirus hoverfly.

Common Earwig

Honeybee

Common Carder Bee

Garden birds!

Because of the current lockdown I contented myself with a stroll round the neighbourhood today, but I first checked the view from my window where there were a couple of Great Tits, a Woodpigeon collecting nesting material and a Dunnock.

Woodpigeon

Dunock

In Richmond Road there was a little patch of Wood Forget-me-not growing out of the pavement - probably a garden escape. At Fairlawn Road there were several Eristalis pertinax hoverflies, a Honey Bee and my first Dark-edged Bee-fly of the spring, although it didn't stick around for the camera. Lots of Goldfinches were heard calling among the trees.

Honey Bee

Wood Forget-me-not

Eristalis pertinax

The station was disappointing - there were no butterflies on the disused platform - but a Coal Tit showed well.

St Andrews Park!

I had a wander round the park while the sun still shone this morning and there were a few Redwings around together with several Blackbirds, a singing Coal Tit, several Carrion Crows and a Jay. A row of dwarf Daffodils were very attractive. One of the trees in the park had about 3 species of lichen growing on it. I'm no expert but these may have included Punctelia jeckeri and Xanthoria parietina.

Carrion Crow

Daffodil

Redwing

Possible Xanthoria parietina

Possible Punctelia jeckeri

Back in Montpelier a Common Buzzard flew over, harassed by gulls, and a pair of Ravens were hanging around St Andrews Road, also being ruthlessly mobbed.

Raven

Plants around Montpelier included Annual Mercury, Green Alkanet, Dandelion, Cleavers and Lesser Celandine.

Lesser Celandine

Annual Mercury

Cleavers

Green Alkanet

Dandelion

Not much insect activity despite the sunshine - just a Bluebottle fly (probably Calliphora vicina).

Bluebottle