Today's Critters

 A very blustery day today, very much your cliche "Four Seasons in One Day" type day you get this time of year. 

So far, it's not been a great spring for butterflies round here, but other pollinators have been about in between sharp showers. I took a walk round Sconce Park and the Library Gardens to see what I might see. 

So, what I have for you today is a vestal cuckoo bumblebee, an unidentified mining bee that I thought was a yellow legged mining bee but has iNaturalist stumped, and finally, lucky chance shots of a hairy footed flower bee on the wing. 

Warmer, less windy weather is forecast, so we will see what's around tomorrow! 

I love spring. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 30.03.26 

Tawny Mining Bee, Among Others

 Well, we are in a spell of lovely weather, and spring feels like it has properly sprung now, with butterflies on the wing today - of which more in another post. 

I've been loving visiting Sconce Park, reading and drinking tea at the cafe while listening to cricket on the radio, before walking through the park wildlife hunting. This weekend has been superb, with the highlight being my first ever capture of a tawny mining bee feeding off blossom. 

These stunning yellow and deep gold solitary bees are usually seen flying around at low level around the patches of dry dirt where they make their mini-volcano like homes, but I managed to catch one on the lovely crisp white blossom, and somehow got decent photographs despite my phone camera really struggling with the sun. 

There were other small bees about too, one in the old oak wood being a suspected short fringed mining bee, while another on blossom being perhaps an early mining bee. 

All hail iNaturalist!

Well, I hope you are finding some rewarding spring sights as well!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.04.25

An Old School Cricket Story

 Last Sunday we entertained our friends from Cropwell, a very nice bunch of lads who are big fans of bashing the ball hard and playing nice short 30 over games before retiring to the bar for a well earned couple of beers. 

Things were looking awkward for us as we only had nine players as we assembled at Kelham Road on a fine afternoon. However, a young lad, a major superfan and under 15s wicket keeper, was at the ground. He is desperate to play, but he is still "officially" too young to play senior hard ball cricket. 

However, things are slightly different on a Sunday, and on asking him if he fancied a game, and a quick call to get his kit driven over and for me to assure his family that Cropwell were a gentle team who had no bowlers who could kill him, he was in. 

I promptly lost the toss, and as feared, Cropwell decided to bat, where their big gun opening bat who has never failed to score 50 against us took to the middle, and with his partner, proceeded to wallop our bowling all over the park, with particular attention to the straight boundaries. 

I think they raised the 100 after about 11 overs. The chairman had a bowl, and finding no luck with his usual seam up stuff, decided to have a crack with his "sunday off spin" - actually googlies - but this resulted in more boundary peppering, although admittedly our fielding wasn't the best at times and we were a player down. The chief basher had got to his 50, but he was then replaced by another one.

Luckily, we had an old hand whose controlled medium pace I had decided was the right tactical move - that's one thing I've got right this year then - and he took three wickets with considerable skill. 

He knows exactly how quickly he is going to bowl, and exactly where the ball will land, which is entirely beyond my pay grade in this game. Our young guest, meanwhile, had taken over wicket keeping duties and was doing a stellar job, which augurs well for the third team next year, 

I had come on to bowl at this point, and was doing ok if not spectacularly, wickets, once again, evaded me, That was all happening at the other end, where the young second team opening bat was now proving highly effective with his rarely bowled off spin. 

Damn, they all make it look so easy.

So they closed on 199. 

Our innings did not start well, and we found ourselves in a very unwell looking position of about 40 for 5. However, the chairman, in conjunction with our young guest, proceeded to batter a fine 50 before the enforced retirement, a sort of "Sleep" in "Logan's Run" for batters in friendly games. 

The wicket by now was being rather tricky, so well done to them for scoring runs. It was very heartening for the young player's grandfather arrive in time to see him hook a head high beamer for four. 

I did get to have a little bat, I say little, I batted for 10 overs to score 13 not out. Lluckily for the watchers, the entertainment was coming from the other end. 

We lost, but it been all good fun.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 23.08.24