Two bees or not two bees?

There were two close encounters with bees this morning. A queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee which I found in the flat was looking very groggy so I gave her sugared water before letting her go in the garden.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Later, during my morning exercise walk, I spotted a mining bee sitting on a wall at the station. I narrowed it down to about 3 species before referring it to the experts on Facebook. It turned out to be a Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica. I think it was trying to sit out the low temperatures and hopefully will respond when it gets warmer. Nearby was a probable White-lipped Snail (I didn't want to disturb it to make a definite identification). A Collared Dove was singing too.

Andrena scotica

White-lipped Snail

Collared Dove

From my flat window I can see a pair of Woodpigeons building a nest in next-door's shrub.

While queuing up to get a prescription at Bath Buildings this morning a single Jackdaw flew over calling. There were a couple of Carrion Crows building a nest just behind the health centre.

Nest-building Carrion Crows

A very flighty Chiffchaff was singing in Montpelier Park.

A Tale of Two Speedwells!

My daily constitutional took me to the wide open spaces of St Andrews Park this morning. In the meadow area there were a couple of flowering Common Field Speedwell plants, their delicate blue flowers a pleasure to see. Nearby there was a very tiny fly probably belonging to the family Sphaeroceridae or the lesser dung flies, whose larvae feed on rotting vegetation. On another leaf was a very small snail which might just be a very young Garden Snail so nothing particularly exciting. A queen Red-tailed Bumblebee zoomed past but was too quick for my camera. She was my first of the year.

Common Field Speedwell

Sphaeroceridae

Possible Garden Snail baby

Back in Montpelier, where the railway footbridge meets Hurlingham Road, another Speedwell was in flower. This was Ivy-leaved Speedwell with flowers much smaller and paler than the Common Field Speedwell I saw earlier.

Ivy-leaved Speedwell

The walls around Montpelier are now festooned with Ivy-leaved Toadflax, now very common but originally imported from Italy.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax

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.

Brimstone!

I visited the station at lunchtime to see if there were any Brimstone butterflies on the wing as that's usually the most reliable spot to see them and sure enough I was not disappointed - one male was patrolling the length of the disused platform. It's always a joy to see the first of the spring. As I watched it my attention was drawn to some movement in the scrub and a Chiffchaff was feeding in the lower branches of some young Ash trees. A couple of Goldfinches, a Blackbird and plenty of House Sparrows were feeding nearby.

At St Andrews Park near the pond there were a couple of hoverflies, an Eristalis pertinax and a Platycheirus albimanus. A Small White butterfly was flitting among the Kingcups. I noticed a tiny insect in the meadow which turned out to be a Tortoise Beetle - the first I've ever seen on the patch I think. Back in Montpelier, at Fairlawn Road there were half a dozen Green Shieldbugs and several Honeybees.

Tortoise Beetle

Honey Bee

Green Shieldbug

Eristalis pertinax

Small White

Platycheirus albimanus

Narroways!

An enjoyable wander round the reserve in bright sunshine this morning produced up to two singing Chiffchaffs - my first of the spring on the patch. One gave a brief view but escaped the camera. Also there were almost constant Raven fly-overs, Great Tits were singing and a Grey Wagtail was at the usual place below the bridge over the brook.

Grey Wagtail

There was an extremely impressive showing of mining bees of various species - there were almost swarms of them near dandelions and daisies, particularly along the sunny slope at the cutting. Among them were Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrena flavipes and Gwynne's Mining Bee A. bicolor. The parasitic Painted Nomad Bee Nomada fucata was a surprise find. Also a Nursery-web Spider was basking on a leaf near the entrance gate just down from the railway bridge.

Male Yellow-legged Mining Bee

Gwynne's Mining Bee

Nursery-web Spider

Painted Nomad Bee

Back in Montpelier, there were a couple of Buff-tailed Bumblebees and an Eristalis tenax hoverfly at Fairlawn Road and a Tree Bumblebee put in the briefest of appearances at the top of St Andrews Road. Nearby a pair of Robins were showing well and a Wren looks like it might be nesting as it was showing territorial behaviour.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Robin

Montpelier Park and Station!

I'm not sure if anybody replenishes the bird feeders in the garden behind the disused platform but this morning a female Blackcap was near them. Also a Blackbird, a pair of Blue Tits, singing Wren and the usual House Sparrows.

There was a Great Tit in the park. A Wolf Spider was basking in the warm sunshine - my first of the spring.

Narroways!

A visit to some of the less muddy areas of Narroways Nature Reserve today produced just Robins, Wrens, singing Great Tits and fly-over Ravens. There was a nice group of House Sparrows at Boiling Wells and a Buff-tailed Bumblebee queen in the front garden of the cottage in Ashley Vale allotments.

House Sparrow (female)

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

 In nearby Fairlawn Road there was a Jay, a few Green Shieldbugs and a Peacock butterfly. A single Honey Bee was nectaring on Dandelions.

Green Shieldbug

Honey Bee

Peacock

At the top of St Andrews Road the Alexanders are starting to flower and one of them attracted a Harlequin Ladybird.

Harlequin Ladybird

Montpelier Station!

I was pleased to hear a Blackcap sub-singing at the station this morning. Subsong is a posh word for 'tuning up' and birds often practice their songs early in the season before spring starts in earnest. This Blackcap will have been overwintering in the UK and will migrate to Germany in about a month's time to nest there. Also at the station were a couple of Robins, several Blackbirds and Woodpigeons and a Great Tit.  

Blackbird

Great Tit

Robin

Woodpigeon