Tawny Mining Bee and Beefly

At Easter, I watched these very attractive Bees going about there business against a grassy hill in Lincolnshire. They seemed abundant, feeding on every Celandine and Dandelion flower. A constant companion flying swiftly across our path I wondered why I had never noticed them before. And now back in Kent I now realise how common they are, feeding on Apple blossom and shrubs in flower. It doesn't seem a great deal effort to find them.



Never very far is the delightful Bee Fly with its sword like probosis it has a humming bird like feeding pattern. Like the Tawny mining they do seem to be very common at the moment.

First Cuckoo of spring

A cuckoo was calling close to the garden this morning. Numbers of Cuckoos are reported to be declining across the UK. It will be interesting to see if this bird is going to stick around or continue on a northwards journey. Another welcome migrant was a Nightingale was singing from a copse along Hornash Lane.

Spring Birds working to the calendar

From the garden birds it would seem that most have their clocks set about right. I'm refering to the facts that some birds are out of sync with their traditional breeding patterns or more specific out of sync with their peaks in their food sources. So our Blue Tits which now seem to be now egg laying on the face of it for mid April seem to be laying at their traditional time. But problems may occur if the Moth caterpillars they depend on as a food source for fledglings have already peaked.

Is spring early?

In the garden this morning, hen Blackbirds are gathering nest material so to are Magpies, and Blue Tits are prospecting the nest boxes. By the amount of song and noise, Song Thrushes, Great spotted woodpeckers and Robins are plentiful. On the lawn which is frozen this morning at least 20 Yellowhammers and a solitary Reed Bunting are feeding on corn. And back-up on the feeders a handful of Goldfinches and 2 Siskins fight it out over the Nijer seed. Thats it for a week Lanzarote here we come!

Departing Brent Geese

Barmy warm sunny clear weather at Dungeness (February 28th)made it feel more May than March. On the sea by the fishing boats, a broad thinly populated raft stretching east to west of Great Crested Grebes fished leisurely. This flock must number thousands of birds and is considered the highest numbered winter flock in the British Isles. There are also a few Auks and Red-throated Divers mixed in too. A one hour sea watch saw two flocks of 40 -50 Dark bellied Brent Geese heading up channel on their first stage back to breeding grounds in the Siberian Tundra. A few Common Scoter were seen flying west, presumably rejoining the larger flocks in Camber Bay. On the ground, by the fishing boats, 20-30 Turnstones loitered on the foreshore and a pair of Skylarks were chasing around the boat and net area.

Mid-Feb snow

Red-legged Partridge prints

Pheasant in the garden snow

Just a modest amount of overnight snow was enough to bring in an excellent array of garden birds. Green woodpecker, Reed bunting, Goldfinches and a large Yellowhammer and House Sparrow flock have spent most of the day feeding in the garden. And, to great relief , all the all 5 Partridges are present again. It would appear than one bird has decided to roost (and also feed) away from the rest of the flock.

Partridge calling

The talk of the village is where have the Partridges gone - there is now just one remaining with the other five now disappeared for for a couple of days. Our one remaining Partridge still dutifully patrols the garden and at dawn calls in vain from the top of our chimmney for his missing flock. This bird had a near escape with a fox this morning and we had seen previously the local black Cat taking an interest too. Maybe the other Partridges know when good times are nearly at an end and have moved on to pastures new.