Big Time Blossom

 On a day where the weather never quite worked out what it was going to be, apart from bloody windy all day, I went off to the park to see if the blossom in the orchard was out. 

The answer was yes - big time!

The orchard in spring is a favourite place of mine; warm days bring bees and butterflies to the sweet smelling blooms in large numbers. Too cool today though, and the only buzzer I saw was a queen buff tailed bumble high in the canopy of a blackthorn tree. 

I also love the blossom to study the very subtle differences in colour and smell between the flowers, often in the same tree. For example some flowers have pink stamen, others green. I don't know whether this sexes the flowers or not, but it can be very marked. 

Also some blooms are a very creamy white, others pure, while others have hints of pink or green about them. Knowledgeable folk will immediately know what tree has which, but I am not a folk who has the knowledge.

It is spring, but not very springlike yet with the weather. Hopefully that will change soon.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 13.03.21

Dipping on the Glossy Ibis

 Well, today I did something I've never done before.

I "dipped" on a bird.

I've never before gone anywhere to look for a rare bird, I've never done anything "twitchy". But the opportunity of just taking a walk along the river to find the glossy ibis that has been hanging out behind the sugar factory was something I just had to do.

I have to say, the bird has picked a good spot. It's in a rather godforsaken part of town, in muddy fields beyond the Nether Lock and the weir. It wasn't a pretty walk by any stretch of the imagination, and the experience was not enhanced by various rusted shopping trolleys and bikes that had been dragged from the river and dumped. 

I wasn't quite sure where to go, but there was another birder down there who helped me find my way there, and she joined me as I crossed a drainage ditch on a makeshift bridge and wandered around an empty field full of discarded sugar beet.

The ibis had apparently been hanging around by a temporary pond in the middle of this field, but there was no sign of it. This means, in birdwatching terminology, that I had dipped on the bird. 

I may try again if the bird hangs around. And probably "dip" again.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.03.21

Another Bee Day

 Surprisingly the weather has been compliant today, not exactly mild, but bearable in the sunshine. It meant I was able to get out and see what was about in the park and the cemetery. 

The answer - honey bees in the park, bumblebees in the cemetery.

Crocuses are the main source of pollen, but already the beautiful cemetery crocuses have just tipped over their best which is sad. But there's still plenty of them, and the bumbles were getting their backsides covered in orange goodness. 

On the lake, the gulls are comparing how much black their heads have. Do the ones who are slow to go dark teased by the others?

I'd best ask Jonathan Livngstone Seagull.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.03.21

Miscellania

 Spring has gone back to sleep for the whole week, and I've taken no photographs of anything remotely interesting. 

Good job I have a few left over from last weekend, where coltsfoot is the latest new emergence on the blocks.

Yep, it's been grey and cold all week, with the upcoming week not looking to be any different. Any sane insects will have gone back inside for a rest, and there certainly won't be any migrants arriving.

I say that with a glossy ibis having been reported from town today, lurking over by the sugar factory in a rather difficult to get to location. Wonder if it's the same bird that's been seen in Lowdham over the last couple of winters? Yay or nay, it seems that these birds are becoming much commoner visitors to UK shores, and will probably end up becoming resident like little egrets. 

When we next have warmer weather, I expect to see brimstones and hear chiff chaffs.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 06.03.21

The Crocuses were Alive

 With the sun shining from a cloudless blue sky, creating some warmth although shady places were still rather chilly, I figured it would be a good day to seek out some bees.

I even wore my T-Shirt from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to give me luck.

The hunt was a bit of a slow burner. I initially walked along the river - nothing at the lock gardens. There was nothing at the park either on the flowers growing there, although I did enjoy a nice cup of tea while wandering around.

Good old Rumbles.

So I kept on walking, another couple of km onto the cemetery where I could see when I went in the the crocuses are absolutely spectacular; that aforementioned sea of purple and white. 

I could also see that that the crocuses were alive. 

Honeybees where everywhere.

I can safely say I have never seen so many bees on a February day ever. They were loving the crocuses, absolutely coated in orange pollen, their saddlebags bulging. Such a joy for me to see, I love springtime so much and my first sighting of pollinators each year is just a herald of better times, hopefully even more so this year. 

However, I was not done yet. I was after a bumblebee, a big queen bumble like the ones I'd seen at work and not been able to photograph. And I was not to be disappointed.

There was a couple of massive queen buff tailed bumblebees feeding too, larger than some of the crocuses they were munching on, and like the honeybees they were absolutely coated in pollen. It was such a feast for them, the flowers were ripe for harvest and there was barely a couple of centimetres between each of the blooms. 

So, I've survived to see another spring begin. A ever, I just have to keep hanging in.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.02.21

The Queen is not Dead

 Well, we've had much wilder weather the last couple of days, and this seems to have prompted another little set of wildflower emergences around town.

Chief of these has been the appearance of queen of the snows, which for some reason seems to like growing exactly where the snowdrops do, emerging among the white carpets with their flowers, before taking over completely and turning the carpets blue. 

Related to squill, they are a lovely sight. 

I noticed today, as the noisy jackdaws squawked above at work, that common speedwell has also appeared in its quiet fashion, adding more blue to spring. But with nothing to feed on at work yet, I've not seen any bees on campus. 

That will change as the dandelions flower.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 24.02.21

The Crocus Sea

 It's been another fine weekend weatherwise, by February's admittedly very low standards, and I took advantage by getting some serious walking done, to the tune of about 3 hours worth. 

Unfortunately I also did about three hours worth of eating, so it all gets cancelled out. Wish I could lose weight like I did during Lockdown 1. Working during Lockdown 3 has just made me want to eat. 

In the space of a week, the cemetery crocuses have just erupted, turning it in the vivid sea of purple and white once again. It really does look so beautiful. 

I'm not long back in after a 10.6km run tonight, which I'm pretty proud of myself for doing. Two 10km runs in the week, just. 

I hope we are all doing ok, and we get our vaccines soon.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.02.21