And here is the First Bumblebee!

 I knew when I left hy home this morning, that the addition of sunshine to mild temperatures would bring out the bumblebees, and when I went to the park cafe again, it as time to go looking again. 

My tea finished, I wandered over to the little grassy area where the crocuses grow, and today the crocuses that were empty on my post yesterday, had customers today. 

Two beautifully fresh queen buff tailed bumblebees were moving around the flowers, perhaps feeding for the first time since they woke up. I think this is always the species I see first in spring. 

Sadly, my shots ended up quite soft, so I'm giving you the best one today. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 22.02.26 

Another Day when Exhaustion Set in

I managed to be up and about fairly early and made it down to Sconce Park on my bicycle to watch preparation for the Pikes Plunder re-enactment scheduled to take place in the afternoon.

Unfortunately in the afternoon I was struck down by one of those exhausted moments, brought on by a lot of activity the day before and a very active week at work I guess. The afternoon was gone in a flash...wasted away sleeping while the terrible remake of Clash of the Titans played and played on my DVD player.

Ah well, sometimes you need to sleep.

Lovely sunset straight down the road tonight, blazing gold above the traffic lights.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 05.05.19

Failed Bee Rescue

As ever on a Monday, after my weekend of  cricket, it's been really hard for me to get anything done today. The exhaustion has been like lying with a piano on me, and the close, muggy conditions  have  just made the lethargy worse.

However, I did go for a walk to the park, dear Sconce Park, where I haven't been for a while, it feels like. The River Devon is edged with a thick growth of hairy willow herb, some still in flower and some gone to seed. The flowers are providing a vital food source for pollinators, still plenty of honeybees about and bumbless too.

I also spotted 3 species of dragonfly down by the river - common darter, migrant hawker and brown hawker. August is always their big month, although the common darters will be around for a while yet.

On my drive way when I got home, I found a worn out tree bumblebee. I don't actually have any sugar, crazily, so I tried to revive it with fruit juice. Seemed to be helping at first, but sadly in the end the bee died.

Saddened by this.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.08.18

Quackers not Quakers

The River Devon mallards are looking at their finest, and acting at their feistiest. There's a fair bit of scrapping, mating, and very angry swimming going on, the high speed head down variety.

They don't take it as far as the coots though. I've watched a coot take off and fly 50 plus metres in order to attack another bird minding its own business elsewhere!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 29.03.17

The Birds of the Old Oak Wood

The same day as I explored the floods, I also took my customary walk through The Old Oak Wood at Sconce Hills Park to see what birds could be seen there, and to take advantage of the beautiful light for photography.

As you can see, there were a few birds who appeared for my trademark "record shots", sadly none of them too close, but it was still good practice for me. Soon they will be exploring the bird boxes; the piercingly monotonous two tone call of the great tit is dominant at the moment - by dominant, I mean it's one of the few bird calls I recognise!

Spring hurtles on, the displays of aconite are now over, but I have yet to see a bee risking the weather, it has been very chilly the last few days and especially nights. Luckily, I have pre-mixed Mojito for my observing session later!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 12.02.16

Crows in the greenery

Long tailed tit backside

Robin by the Devon

Slightly pensive looking bird

Mrs chaffinch

Head to one side

Then into the light

Fat squirrel

The Dragonflies in the Park

I had a very early start this morning seeing my sister off back to London, and so took the opportunity afterwards to head off down a very warm Sconce Hills Park for a cup of tea, and to see if there was any nature that was worth investigating.

As it turned out, the nature was more interested in investigating me, because I had only just taken my cup of tea outside, when a huge brown hawker flew right up to me, looked me in the eye, before settling on my arm for a split second with an eerie tickling sensation.

Normally you associate southern hawkers with this sort of behaviour, having a brown behave like this was very strange. After looking me up, it resumed its peculiarly square circuits around the children's park, bronze wings glittering in the sun..

After my tea I went down to the river, where it was another species of dragon that was putting on a display. After being virtually invislble, the lovely red male common darters were out on the river, and being very sporty too. I watched as one individual took a perch on a riverside plant and launched itself like a heat seeking missile at any other male that came within a few metres before returning victorious to his throne.

What he was competing for was going one behind him, by the semi submerged tree trunk that has been a landmark on the River Devon as long as I can remember. A male common darter was supporting a female as she flitted her backside to ovipost her eggs onto a water plant of some kind.

I've seen this done before at Langford, but it such an odd sight you never quite get used to it, I think! The female just hangs there from the tip of the male's abdomen, dipping her bum just below the surface of the water with little flicks. She clearly had a lot of eggs to deposit, because she carried on for ten minutes as a shoal of roach glopped by, blowing bubbles on the surface of the otherwise mirror calm river.

Nature was having a busy day down the park!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.08.15

Some serious bikes here

Two grand each most of these, I'd say

Red arrows gave us a fly by

Marigolds are just going over, but the bees still love them

Feeding away

Still lots of colour

Really big new queen here

Cyclists are off

Where the dragons fought, and loved

A Glorious Butterfly Run!

Many pretties were up today, and although the great profusion of skippers has already been noted, there were lots of other butterflies to be seen. Mainly the grassland species of meadow brown, ringlet and gatekeeper at the moment, with lots of white flitting past - the second flight small tortoiseshells don't seem to have done to well and peacocks are entirely absent.

Buddleias like the one in my garden, while teeming with life, have not got the red admiral visitors I would expect yet. Birds have gone on their post nesting season summer holiday; there are plenty out in the sticks but gardens are quiet. Already migration must be on many feathery minds.

The menacing presence of big southern hawkers is a welcome one however. These huge yellow-green dragonflies seemingly a great curiosity about human beings, so much so that if you are lucky one will literally fly up to your face and look you in the eye before sharply zagging off elsewhere.

They are supreme killers in the air, idly snapping up smaller insects on the wing before crushing them to shreds in their powerful mandibles. Nothing can escape them.

I think enough of them could easily gang up and carry off a human to devour, piece by piece!

Si

All images and text copyright CreamCrackeredNature 17.07.15

Bee hoverfly  - Bombylans type??? - with your real actual bee

The oily sweet buddleia smell brings in customers

6 spot burnet on the cycling path

Like a vulcan bomber

Tracks near Hawton

Cornfield

Small white hiding

Reflections on the Devon

Small skipper on knapweed

Good illustration in size difference between meadow brown and a skipper

Gatekeepers on ragwort

The Abandoned Blackbird Nests

I've had a very busy few days wandering around, and yes! hooray! running again, albeit very slowly.

We've had three unexpectedly warm days in a row, and although today has been humid and occasionally slightly damp, it has still been pleasant. The bumblebees have been out in abundance, especially the tree bumblebees in my two nests in the roof. The nest above my front door in particular is very busy, and from dawn till dusk the bees are buzzing around in a ginger cloud.

They are very fond of the aphid sap found on the underside of the holly and privet leaves.

I've been pottering in the folks' back garden tonight, admiring the new botanical additions. At one point I saw the naughty cat from next door climb guiltily down from one of the cloud trees, so my bird senses started tingling; that cat is an expert bird botherer.

Sure enough, there was a new nest in one of the trees, and devil cat had been having a look for blackbirds to harass. However, on a hand based inspection, there was a single blue speckled egg within, as cold as a stone. Such a beautiful thing, but devoid of life.

On a hunch, I checked the old pergola nest, and that too had a single cold blackbird egg in it. The cat had obviously driven both birds - or was it the same one each time? - away. The owners had put a bell on it, but it has been taken off, seemingly.

I love cats, I miss our family cats terribly, but I wish owners would bell their collars to protect bird life.

Soapbox away, enjoy the pictures!

Si

All images and text copyright CreamCrackeredNature 18.06.15

Tree bumblebee has heavy saddlebags

The strong oily smell of ceonothus seems to be a big attractor

Elderflower

Fungi on the Sonce

Geranium party!

Beautiful cinnabar moth, my first of the year

Bit out of focus, now we have a scabious party

Waiting to bat in the nets. When I did, I was dismal

Errr, pink campion

Solitary bee on library geranium

Another geranium bee

Railway ox eye daisies

Bee was a-visiting

Some writer called "Bronte Emily". Who?

New in the garden

Twilight bee out back