Wool carder Bee on Birds foot trefoil

My knowledge of Bees is limited. I know that Honey bees are said to be in steep decline - yet in our garden, on the Honey suckle and Bramble blossom, which we have a lot of, is covered in them. I also know how much our Hornets enjouy a bumble bee kunch, but that's a story for another day! But there's another Bee, a Solitary Bee, that's down by the pond, and has caught my attention recently. It has a loud audible buzz, and frequents the Birds foot trefoil. I first thought it was just being picky about choosing a flower - you really feel it should have a sit down and take a rest. It ceaselessly patrols the same patch of Birds foot-Trefoil but not for the best nectar flower but to my astonishment, to ward off Bumble Bees, Wasp beetles, even unsuspecting Damselflies.

Eventually, my new Bee friend, the Wool Carder Bee, will rest on exactly the same patch of the hand rail on the pond bridge. It has a scratch and a preen and then back to business, keeping away any happless Bee that should dare to want to share the same flower patch.

At first it looks like any other bee, but close-up it has a charasmatic woolly-looking leg patches and a white beard, giving it quite a friendly persona. It has along tongue which it really puts to work on the nectar rich Birds foot trefoil. I look forward to learning about this species soon!

Rye harbour late June

The Sandwich Terns at Rye Harbour appear to be having a very good breeding season. It's quite spectacular on the reserve at the moment. I took so many images down there at last night, its going to take some time to plan out and write - so maybe I'll have a more complete post at the weekend.

If you've never visited Rye Harbour reserve and you live in the S.E England you really should get down there before the Terns depart. It is the most magnificent site as hundreds of Sandwich Terns and Common Terns are feeding young in front of the hides. Visit rxwildlife.org.uk for all the latest news (and how to get there) on the reserve.

Dancer fly with prey

You know I quite like the Dancer fly: One, they're always several by the pond, so even the briefiest visit will reveal there whereabouts, two, they're not camera-shy (quite the opposite - in fact a bit of a show off!) and three they don't bite me - or you either! I've yet to witness their dusk display flight - they need to be careful though, because our local Swallows are feeding their young on the wing just feet away in the field. The hunter may yet become the hunted.

Garden Bugs - good -bad- ugly

From top to bottom in the garden today, Lady Bird larvae eating aphids on Nettles, Dance fly waiting to predate on anything passing by, and at the bottom a Spotted Crane fly. Hhmm, thinking about this, the Crane fly isn't that ugly, maybe it can join the dancer fly as just' bad'.

Common Terns at Camber sands

Summer seems finally here, so we took a Sunday afternoon trip down to Camber sands adjacent to Rye harbour nature reserve. Common Terns were happily feeding around us, as we paddled in the incoming tide - it was just a lovely experience. The Terns were doing more searching than diving though- so I struggled waiting for a more dramatic shot. Unsurprisingly, these birds and the local Sandwich terns from Rye Harbour NR, all carried rings - sadly I never got enough detail to read the letters. The Herring Gull below was too concentrated on fishing to be scared away. A few Mediterranean Gulls, as we first noticed last year, were raiding the rubbish bins by the car park entrance.

Grass snake - first of the year

Grass snakes are probably lurking down in the ponds at the bottom of the garden all the time, but it's taken half the year to go by before my first sighting. Ditto the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling over the garden yesterday afternoon. This was a reassuring sign that they may have bred in the area once again.

Take a shine to the Burnished Brass

Here's a common moth that can't fail to impress the Burnished Brass. How can something so beautiful and extraordinary looking be seen by so few? Well that's Moths for you! The Burnished Brass moth has to be my favorite garden moth. For starters, they'll sit on your finger without a care in the world like a cat on your lap. Secondly, they're cute - and they know it! Burnished Brass just like the name says, has a gorgeous brass sheen in large patches on their forewings, a 'cuddly' teddy bear face and 'designer' curves and angles that could have come from a Michelangelo sketch book. Apparently if you don't see them in spring and summer, do not be disappointed, because a second brood is on the wing in September. Long live the Burnished Brass in our `Shadoxhurst garden!