Toft New Species

Good to get another new species for my Toft list, the Brown Lacewing Micromus angulatus, living alongside Rhopalus subrufus, a very colourful plant bug, Green Shieldbugs mating, Tortoise Shieldbug, several Hoverfly species, including Baccha elongata, and Hymenoptera.

Toft Churchyard Insects

A few bees and friends from a very windy session at Toft Churchyard. There were mining bees everywhere - Andrena cineraria, the Ashy Mining Bee, males have emerged in very large numbers along with  Andrena flavipes and Andrena scotica. I recorded two species of Nomad bees Nomada goodenia (male and female) and N. flava which parasitise the species of mining bees present at the moment so all fits. Bombus pascorum and Andrena fulva complete the sightings. Good to see two other insects that were here at this time last year - the Pied Shieldbug and Rhingia campestris hoverfly.

Bee Flies, Bees and Birds in Toft

A miscellany from the last couple of days in Toft - bee flies taken at 1/800th and1/6400th second and still not quite stopping wing movement; three Andrena species of mining bees (A,nitida, A. heamorrhoa and A. cineraria); three migrant species (Chiffchaff, blackcap,Willow warbler) and a Dunnock.

 

Paxton Breeding Bird Survey and Mining Bees

Yesterday was the first Breeding Bird survey of 2024 at Paxton - a windy but warm 7am start to the walk to catch the early song was rewarded by singing Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Willow Warblers on our route and elsewhere Garden Warblers and Reed Warblers announced their presence while Nightingales are here singing in the private areas of the site. Later in the morning I went to look for Mining bees in a favourite location and the bramble leaves were teaming with different species - haven't identified all yet (shown are the Early Colletes female and male, ?Orange-tailed Mining Bee, Small Sallow Mining Bee, Tawny Mining Bee and Red Mason Bee

In the Eye of a Grass Snake

Came eye-to-eye with this grass snake while hunting for mining bee nests in the meadow. Knowing they are harmless other than excreting a foul odour, I enjoyed photographing the snake while it sampled the air with the tongue. I even had time to do a focus stack of it (last two images) before it disappeared into longer grass.