Coal Tits and Jays!

In Montpelier Park this morning a Coal Tit was singing and was briefly seen flying from one tree to another. There was also a singing Blackcap and a Blackbird was busy feeding.

At the station there was the usual gang of House Sparrows, a Dunnock and no less than 3 Jays flying low overhead, calling.

Hiding House Sparrow

Montpelier Station!

A lovely spring morning - while I waited for my train to work I noted a couple of Jays flying backwards and forwards over the station. Their call was like a mewing cat or buzzard! I do hear Jays call like this occasionally but it's quite unusual I think and may be part of the bonding process in the spring perhaps. Also a Robin and a couple of Great Tits feeding and a Wren singing almost continually nearby. A male Eristalis pertinax hoverfly was basking on the Ivy leaves at the station approach.

Narroways!

Spring was definitely in the air at Narroways today. At Lynmouth Road allotments both Chiffchaff and Blackcap were in song and a couple of Long-tailed Tits were feeding. A Dunnock was feeding along the church path near the climbing centre and I was delighted to find a (sadly injured) Dotted Bee-fly (my first ever) in the church field. The cutting produced a pair of fly-over Ravens, a Hairy-footed Flower Bee, a Common Carder Bee and an Early Bumblebee (the latter two my first of the spring). Nearby was a basking Comma butterfly and a Platycheirus hoverfly, an Andrena bee together with a 7-spot Ladybird. A Brimstone darted along the footpath towards Boiling Wells and my first Green-veined White was basking in the orchard. In the Ash Wood, a Syrphus Hoverfly and another singing Chiffchaff were seen (the latter too quick for the camera).

Green-veined White

Comma

Dotted Bee-fly

7-Spot Ladybird

Common Carder Bee

Dunnock

Common Dog-violet

Andrena Bee

Platycheirus

Syrphus

Back in Montpelier, Fairlawn Road produced yet another singing Chiffchaff and a Harlequin Ladybird and there was a Syrphus hoverfly and a Marmalade Hoverfly at the top of St Andrews Road.

Harlequin

Monty Mistle Thrush!

I had about 20 minutes before my train was due this morning so I dashed up to Fairlawn Road to see if I could hear any Chiffchaffs (a favourite spot for them in the spring) but I was unlucky. However, I heard a distant Mistle Thrush singing and I tracked it down to a tree in Old Ashley Hill. Soon after it flew off towards Narroways. I rarely see Mistle Thrushes in Montpelier these days so I was very pleased. Nearby a Dunnock was singing and a couple of Goldfinches were on a TV aerial. I had to rush back to get my train but en route I noted Alexanders and Ivy-leaved Toadflax in flower along St Andrews Road.

Alexanders

Goldfinch

Mistle Thrush

Ivy-leaved Toadflax

Late news from yesterday - an Andrena sp. bee was caught in a spider web along the wall at the station. I tried to rescue it but it was in a very poor condition. I notice from the photo I took of it that the odd Springtail was in attendance.

Andrena bee and Springtail

Montpelier Park!

A cool but sunny morning - some bird activity in the park including a pair of Great Tits, a Blue Tit or two, a couple of male Blackbirds fighting, a pair of Robins (one flicking its tail so presumably a display), a singing Wren and a couple of Woodpigeons.

There were some insects too - my first Sawfly of the year was very sluggish in the cool weather - normally they race around - a Buff-tailed Bumblebee was also enjoying the sunshine. I'm 99% sure there was a Hairy-footed Flower Bee too but it just did not stop flying so I couldn't photograph it.

Sawfly

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Green Alkanet was coming into flower and both Lesser Celandine and White Dead-nettle also in flower.

Green Alkanet

St Andrews Park!

I walked through the park on my way to town but had no illusions that the cold and windy weather would produce any birds or insects - there were a few Goldfinches, a Blackbird or two and that was just about it. Near the pond a very dopey queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee was clambering among the leaves but not much else to report.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Brimstone!

Despite seeing several elsewhere in the warm weather a couple of weeks ago, I saw my first Brimstone on my Montpelier patch this morning flying along the disused platform. Better late than never!

Narroways!

A morning of sunshine and showers - mainly without the sunshine - made birdwatching a bit of a challenge this morning, but I did see the following:

Grey Wagtail - 1 at the brook and 2 at Boiling Wells
Goldcrest - 1 at Boiling Wells
Raven - several fly-overs
Jay - 1 at ash wood
Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits at ash wood

A good display of Primroses too!

Great Tit

Spot the Goldcrest!

Grey Wagtail

Long-tailed Tit

a glimpse of sunshine

Primroses