I visited Trumpington Meadows on Monday on a cool cloudy day on Monday so no high expectations of insect activity but some interesting finds in the woodland areas and great to see cowslips already in full bloom in places. Usual ID sheet at end - the beetle larva keyed out as a Rose Chafer but will need to check this one - found in nearby site so possible.
I am in Birmingham at the RPS Spring Assessments. As we finished in good time yesterday, and it was a lovely sunny and warm afternoon, I took a walk along the Oldbury Canal. Lots of graffiti but also old barges and canal-side mooring posts etc. The canal passes under the M5 and so lots of concrete.
Addenbrookes Charitable Trust had a team of around 200 runners in today's Cambridge Half Marathon and they asked if we could help record their participation. I positioned myself on the road to Grantchester from the Barton Road roundabout - a definite upward slope for the runners. The lead runners went through well spread out but the later runners tended to be in very large groups so the task was not easy even though I knew the vests that they were wearing. I think I recorded about 120 so quite a good proportion. Here are a few of the images. I am very pleased to support the Charity as this time last year I was in Addenbrookes myself and very grateful to the surgeons, nurses etc for their expertise, skills and care in getting me through.
