Life in a Barley Field

It was cold and breezy for out RPS Nature Group visit to Strumpshaw - not ideal for dragonflies or flying insects so we struggled in the morning to find good subjects for our macrophotography. In the afternoon some of us visited a local barley field which was sheltered from the wind and full of insects. here a few more successful images among quite a few more!!

Bees in Eardington NR and Severn Valley

Eardington Nature Reserve have done a lot of work to attract solitary bees to the site which is a disused quarry with sandy soil so excellent for the ground nesters like Colletes cunicularius (image 6). They also attract aerial nesters like these Red Mason bees (Osmia bicornis) with lots of 'bee hotels'. There were many mating pairs - the males differ greatly is size but that doesn't seem to matter to the females. a few fights developed. Other bees, photographed in the Serverne Valley NR are Andrena haemorrhoia, Bombus pascorum, Andrena minutula and Bombus hypnorum

Great Crested Grebe Courtship Dance

Spring was definitely in the air this morning with the Grebes performing their courtship dance and starting a bit of nest construction. There was a lot of head turning and bobbing at all possible occasions.